We then took the shuttle from our parking lot to the office, and lo and behold, I saw him, one of my ghosts of 2025. I then sat behind him, and informed my friend beside me that today will be the last day that one person who have made my life a living hell throughout the past few years will be in my team.

I then reflect back on how my feelings for him started. I remember hating going to work. She ruined things with me and my friend, she humiliated me such that I didn’t think work was a safe space for me. And when a new team member came, a close friend suggested to me to form an office crush so that at least I have an incentive to go to work. Hence, he was the unlucky person, and the rest is history.

She unraveled a side of me I never thought exists, I forced upon a motivation that was imposed on perhaps an innocent boy just so I could work. And she is now gone.

People oftentimes only could hear and laugh about her obnoxious and narcissistic attitude. I could only cry to God and ask why is she in my life. And so it took a heartbreak, the holding back of my promotion, a family chaos and a lot of patience to finally get here, the glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Now both of them are gone, even those who were supposed to lead me are gone, and their leadership has now shone to light. And everyone knows that my light was dimmed by their leadership. But being in this tunnel for far too long, I never knew what it was like out of it.

Perhaps Allah listened to my very simple prayer, which is to make things easy for me. Having dealt with what I have to now, I realise that the prayer is too big of an ask. But perhaps things are easier, but new challenges are ahead. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in 2026, but the ghosts of 2025 continue to linger. 

I know better now what future I want to create for myself, so I can only endure and prove to them, and myself, that I will get myself out from this tunnel.