I only realized after I had completely liquidated my positions that the most hidden leverage in this game was never on the charts, but rather it was leveraged into my own life.

I thought I was just placing a few trades, but in truth, I had unknowingly pledged those stable days, my parents' hopes, and even my tears as collateral. The candlestick charts distorted my dopamine threshold, making me numb to every ordinary warmth in reality. Then the Fed released hawkish signals, and my dreams shattered. Turning around, I could barely receive the care my parents offered. I always thought I was playing against the market makers, but in fact, I was just a madman, trading the most sincere human emotions for a pile of illusory bubbles. The moment I shifted the center of my life onto the charts, I had already lost.