His eyes, red from sleeplessness, stared at the darkened screen. Just yesterday, green lines pulsed there, promising untold riches, and today - only ominous emptiness. He had invested everything. Every penny saved for the dream of his own home, for his parents' comfortable old age, for that very journey he had dreamed of for years. Cryptocurrency. It sounded so enticing, so modern, so promising. Everyone around was talking about it, and he, succumbing to the general euphoria, took the risk.
Now there was a lump in his throat, and his lungs were constricting from lack of air. Every word read in the news about the rise of other assets struck straight to the heart. He remembered how with trembling hands he pressed the 'buy' button, how he eagerly followed every jump in the exchange rate, imagining how life would change for the better. And then the fall began. First slow, almost imperceptible, then - a crash, merciless. He tried to do something, to sell, to reinvest, but it was as if an unknown force held him back, paralyzing his will.
The phone was silent. Friends, whom he boasted to about the potential profits, now avoided his calls. Shame burned from within, mixing with bitterness and despair. Dreams that seemed so close crumbled to dust, leaving only the ashes of disappointment. An empty wallet, empty hope, empty life. He looked out the window at the passersby, so carefree, so distant from his digital tragedy. And only one word echoed in his temples: failure.
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