The Day I Realized Silence Is Also a Choice — And It Costs More Than Words
The room was quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet — the heavy one that presses against your chest and refuses to move. My phone lay face down on the table. No notifications. No missed calls. Just silence. I told myself I was busy . That I’d reply later. That some conversations could wait. That’s how silence begins — not as cruelty, but as comfort. When Silence Feels Easier Than Honesty There was a message I didn’t open. I saw the preview. I knew who it was from. Someone I once talked to every day. Someone whose voice used to calm my chaos. But life had gotten complicated. Feelings were messy. And silence felt… easier. So I chose it. Not replying felt safer than saying the wrong thing. Ignoring felt better than explaining. At least, that’s what I believed then. The Problem With “Later” Days passed. Then weeks. Then one day, I realized something terrifying — There was no later anymore. The chat was still there, frozen in time. The message unread. ...