Luxury of Emotions

Xi Yuan stood utterly frozen, his breath caught in his throat, his heartbeat a deafening roar in his ears. His entire world tilted as her words sank in, each syllable carving into his soul like a blade. It was as if time itself had fractured—memories surging forth, dragging him back to the most harrowing night of his life.

His grandparents' assassination. The blood. The screams. The sharp crack of gunfire splitting the air. His grandfather's desperate shove, forcing him into the shadows of a darkened alley. The merciless bullets tearing through flesh. Their bodies crumpling to the ground. The helplessness. The agony. The soul-crushing weight of loss.

And all these years… the monster responsible had been right there in front of him.

The realization struck like a violent storm, rattling him to his core. A panic attack loomed on the horizon, threatening to drag him into its merciless depths. His vision blurred at the edges, his chest tightening.