The man the world watched change

Tragedy is a force so powerful, it can turn the best man into the worst version of himself.
Richard was a man with a good heart. He loved to help people. Richard was the kind of person who would go out of his way to help someone in need. He was a philanthropist.

Source

Whenever he attended occasions, he would announce his donation for a noble cause. Richard donated to charity more times than he could count. He funded much research meant for advancement in medicine. People loved him. His city cherished him. In fact, he was the crown jewel of his city. He had touched so many lives that everyone had something good to say about him.

Richard believed in the possibility of a better world. He saw the good in people,
and in the world at large. He was eager to do his best in making the world a great place.

Richard's wife, Lucy was everything to him. He loved her so much. She was his high school sweetheart and they've been together ever since. One thing he loved most about Lucy was the way her mind worked. She was so smart. She always knew the right thing to say or do in every situation. She was his best advisor, his confidant. Richard loved to attend events with his wife. They were basically inseparable.
One beautiful morning, while they both laid on the bed enjoying each other's company, Richard thought it was the perfect time to tell Lucy about the invite he got from the Mayor.

"Honey, I've been invited by the mayor to the grand opening of the city Museum." Richard said.

"Oh wow. That's wonderful" Lucy replied with a glow on her face.

"I want you to be by my side at the event" said Richard.

"It would be my pleasure love"

They arrived at the venue by the next day. On sighting Richard, loud shouts of joy erupted. Indeed, he was the people's man. The mayor welcomed him into the venue. The event was a success.

As the event ended, Richard and his wife were on their way out of the museum when they were ambushed by a multitude of media personnel all trying to get a few words from him. There were camera men everywhere trying to get a good shot of him and his wife.

"I have a headache. I'll go to the car to rest my head" Lucy whispered to Richard's ear as they posed for the pictures.

Just as Lucy got into the car, trying to rest her head, an oncoming car crashed into theirs. It was a massive crash. On seeing the crash from where he was, Richard ran to the accident scene. His wife was the only thing on his mind. He rushed to the battered car to see his wife unconscious, with blood over her face and body. He could tell she was in bad shape. He managed to bring her out of the car, holding her in his arms.

"Please stay with me baby, please stay with me" Richard said while tapping her, trying to get her to wake up.

"Somebody call emergency medical services" Richard blurted out, hoping someone in the surrounding crowd would do so.

The driver who crashed his car into theirs seemed drunk. He had a few scratches but he wasn't badly hurt. He ran away on seeing the damage he had done. Tears rolled down Richard's eyes as his wife remained unresponsive.

Immediately, someone drove a car to the scene.

"Put her in the car, there's a hospital nearby. Emergency services are delaying" the man said.

Richard managed to put his wife in the car, a pool of blood already filled the accident scene.

"Please, I need you to drive as fast as possible." Richard said with the hope that his wife could still be resuscitated.

They got to the hospital after a few minutes and Lucy was immediately rushed to the emergency ward.

Fifteen minutes later, Richard saw one of the doctors approaching him with a gloomy face. Richard suspected it was bad news but he didn't even want to imagine it.

"I'm sorry Mr Richard, your wife couldn't make it. She was brought in a bit too late" The doctor said.

Richard instantly felt the kind of cold that could chill the bones. He wished it was a dream, but unfortunately, it was reality. He had just lost his best friend and lover since he was a teenager. He fell to the ground, not knowing where to look. He burst into tears. He cried uncontrollably, wishing that a miracle could happen and his wife would come back to life.

Losing his wife broke him. Richard no longer saw any meaning to life. He changed, and it was for the worst. His wife may have been the one who died, but something in him died along with her. He stopped donating, he stopped giving to charity. He stopped sponsoring research. It was safe to say Richard gave up on humanity. He gave up on the world. The world failed him by taking away his wife, his backbone. There was no meaning to life without her. He retreated to a life of solitude in his home, waiting for the day he would go to meet her.