July 10, 2026, Friday. Outside Taji’s hospital room window, the sharp summer sun streamed down. Ten years ago, the fragments of a bullet lodged in his body had finally made their exit. Emerging from surgery, a sense of liberation washed over him, even through the lingering grogginess. Was he finally shedding the shadows of his past? Yet, a bitter residue clung to a corner of his heart. Bryan. That name always stirred his heart with a complex tremor.

Taji gently ran a hand over his bandaged abdomen. The scar was stark, but the pain was gone. He vividly recalled that cold winter night ten years ago, the sharp crack of gunfire. Bryan’s startled face, his retreating figure as he fled, screaming. The wail of the approaching ambulance, the voices calling his name from the cold hospital floor. It all felt as fresh as yesterday.

“Taji, are you okay?”