HUN Chapter 2: Saving Aliya

Her voice was filled with delighted surprise, happy that he knew he was going to be a father and had rushed to her side immediately.

Lin Yu'an's regret, self-blame, and sadness from his previous life, along with this life's relief and the wild joy of regaining what was lost, all these complex emotions erupted like a volcano in his chest at this moment!

Unable to control himself any longer, he rushed forward in several steps, using all his strength to open his arms wide and fiercely, tightly embrace her!

He could clearly feel the softness of her body, the familiar warmth, and the scent in her hair that he had missed for years, all of which had been his eternal pain in his previous life!

"Aliya... Aliya... thank goodness... you're okay... thank goodness..."

His voice choked with emotion, filled with the relief of regaining what was lost and bone-deep lingering fear! He buried his face deeply in the crook of her neck as tears poured forth.

Feeling Lin Yu'an's embrace, his scalding tears, trembling body, and the incomprehensible words from his mouth, Aliya was completely bewildered for a moment.

She didn't understand what had happened to Lin Yu'an, thinking he was crying from emotional excitement upon learning he was going to be a father.

Just as he held Aliya tightly in his arms, feeling her real body temperature and experiencing mixed emotions in his heart.

"Bang! Bang bang!"

Dull and continuous gunshots exploded like thunder throughout the supermarket! Immediately followed by the sound of shattering glass and people's terrified screams!

Hearing the gunshots, Lin Yu'an's body stiffened instantly.

It's here! That damn lunatic!

"Aliya, be careful!"

Upon hearing the gunshots, Lin Yu'an almost reflexively turned Aliya's body toward himself.

He completely blocked the direction from which the gunshots came with his back, his other hand wrapping around her shoulder as he brought her down behind a shelf stacked with large packages of diapers.

The instant they fell, he instinctively turned his head and saw a man in a dark hoodie holding a modified AR-15 automatic rifle, charging in from the supermarket entrance!

He began frantically shooting at the crowd! The warm maternity supermarket immediately became a living hell!

Lin Yu'an looked at that face, though it wore a mask, he would recognize him even if he turned to ash!

He had last seen this face at the trial in his previous life.

In his past life, when Lin Yu'an received the phone call, he immediately rushed to the police station.

In the cold morgue, he only saw Aliya's paper-white face.

And her abdomen, like a silent tombstone, pressed down on him until he couldn't breathe!

Lin Yu'an had already prepared to take on the responsibilities of a father, but this damned killer ruthlessly took everything away from him!

He blamed everything on himself! If he could have been with Aliya at that time, perhaps... perhaps everything would have been different!

Regret, self-blame, and sadness, like maggots in his bones, constantly gnawed at his heart! Tearing his soul to shreds!

Various chaotic emotions finally caused his emotions to completely collapse! He wept bitterly in the morgue!

Time passed in numbness and pain.

During this period, he met Aliya's family for the first time. When her family heard from the police that Aliya had actually gotten married before her death, everyone was shocked!

Although they knew of Lin Yu'an's existence, they had no knowledge of the two young people's marriage.

But upon learning of the grief of Aliya's husband before her death, they immediately rushed over and offered him comfort.

Her father Robert, a man as steadfast as Texas red oak, had bloodshot eyes as he struggled to hold back tears of missing his daughter.

And her four tall, strong brothers, Wyatt, Garrett, Bo, and Clay, clenched their fists with eyes full of anger and grief.

While comforting Lin Yu'an, they urgently wanted to know what Aliya had experienced during those months!

Months later, the lunatic who had taken everything from him finally stood in the defendant's dock.

That was the first time Lin Yu'an saw this madman! He also learned his real name, Derek!

Lin Yu'an would never forget what kind of demon hid behind that honest face!

All the victims' families were expecting a just trial, expecting that demon to pay with his life!

But due to the killer's lawyer's defense, this madman had intermittent mental disorder symptoms, so his "mentally unstable state during the crime" met the conditions for exemption from criminal responsibility.

Finally, the judge announced that the killer was proven to "possibly suffer from mental illness," so he needed treatment and would be sent to America's most terrifying Elizabeth Mental Hospital for treatment.

He was not allowed to leave even one step, couldn't even see his parents, until all the attending doctors at the hospital confirmed he had completely recovered!

"Go to a mental hospital for treatment? Not the death penalty?"

"Why! He took so many lives, destroyed our families, yet he only needs to survive in a hospital?"

"Unfair! This is unfair!"

"Texas hasn't abolished the death penalty! Why not sentence him to death!"

Lin Yu'an heard the victims' families at the scene let out heart-wrenching cries, and angry emotions immediately filled the courtroom.

Just as the courtroom was buzzing with discussion over the verdict and bailiffs tried to maintain order in the chaotic moment, an uncontrollable rage completely consumed Lin Yu'an's rationality!

What he gripped tightly in his pocket was an ordinary pen that could be brought into the courtroom, which was the weapon he had prepared for revenge.

He squeezed through row after row of crowded people, suddenly leaping up from the back row of the gallery, rushing recklessly toward the expressionless lunatic in the defendant's dock!

He roared with a hoarse voice, "Go to hell! You bastard!"

Using all his strength, he stabbed the pen fiercely toward the killer's head before being pinned down hard by the reacting bailiffs.

The tremendous restraining force made his body unable to move. He turned his head, and through his blurred vision saw that all the victims' families had lost control and were all rushing down!

That lunatic was dragged down from the defendant's dock, and fists like raindrops pounded hard on his body and head, making dull sounds.

Accompanied by the bailiffs' shouting, the entire courtroom fell into complete chaos.

Finally, everything subsided.

The killer became a vegetable due to multiple severe injuries and brain hemorrhage.

And Lin Yu'an, as the first instigator, was charged with "second-degree murder" for contempt of court and committing violent assault in the courtroom.

But because police testified to his suicide attempts, mental breakdown and other behaviors, his defense argued he was mentally unstable during the crime and should also be exempt from criminal responsibility.

And with collective support from victims' families creating public opinion, he was sentenced to exemption from criminal responsibility.

He was immediately sent to a mental health center for 3 months of treatment, then deported back to his home country, forbidden from entering American territory for 10 years.

Thereafter, Lin Yu'an would illegally cross from Canada to Montana once every year, just to pay respects to Aliya.

Each time her four brothers would help cover for him, but his life had completely lost its color, and everyone advised him to move on sooner.

Aliya's brother once asked him after drinking, "Aliya has already left, why don't you find a woman to move forward and continue living your life?"

Lin Yu'an looked at Aliya's brothers, his eyes revealing infinite sadness, and answered, "I can't beat it."

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