Twenty years ago, my parents were in desperate need of money. My dad was a gambling addict and he landed all of us in some hot water with loan sharks. Somehow we were able to escape it… but in a sense, it involved throwing away my whole life. 

At the time my dad got into deep shit, some guy fell in love with me while I was studying in college. I found out he came over to my side of the country on a business trip. He looked like one of those standard businessmen with sleek black hair, a sharp suit, and glasses. I wasn’t really interested in him at first, but what I was interested in was his family. Turns out, his family was super wealthy, so I played into him being in love with me and asked him to marry me. Unfortunately, without thinking, he said yes. It was a blessing… and a curse. 

I gave up a life I could have had to save my parents. I was devastated. I moved overseas with my husband, used his parents' money, and gradually paid off the loan sharks. At first, I thought I’d give this whole housewife thing a try. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He wasn’t bad-looking, and I could feel myself maybe falling for him.

But only months into our first marriage year, I knew it was doomed. He seemed more married to his job than anything. And I couldn’t just divorce him or anything, cause the loan sharks needed soooo much money. More money than I thought was possible. And I had to keep asking for money in a way that didn’t make me suspicious.  So I stayed with him. 

I stayed with him for all the dry periods of my life. At first, I tried to ask for his attention. There was so much stuff I wanted from him. For years, I wanted to have sex, but he would constantly avoid me because of work, leaving me to play with toys. One day I was close to getting that, getting as far as stripping down to my underwear, but a business call rang on his phone, and he immediately left the house. That was the day I gave up completely. 

The years of being with him felt like my soul was being drained. All I did was cook, clean, keep in shape, and repeat. As long as he had food on the table and a presence in the house, he was happy. Then why bother getting married? I never understood that…

The same routine was getting stale as the years went by, but the debt my dad had was getting smaller, so I had to hold out. One day though, that all went crashing down. 

My husband was applying for a promotion at his job. Even though he was a pretty bad husband, his work ethic made it seem like he could take on any position at his desk job company. Hell, it’s not too far-fetched to name him as the next CEO! That was until the company that he slaved for for nearly two decades decided to give the promotion to a less capable employee. Yikes. 

Needless to say, he was devastated. He put his all into his work, and when he wasn’t rewarded, one day he left the house, and then never came back. A week later, it was reported on the news that his body was found at the bottom of a cliff. He was gone. 

All of the debt accumulated by my family was paid, and my husband was gone, but for some reason… I didn’t care. Twenty years had come and gone, but a stoic routine was practically etched into my blood. Wake up, get groceries, cook, and a little exercise. All the friends I’ve made have gone off to do better things with their significant others. And then there was me. The widow. No college degree. No job, and a small fortune I inherited from being the daughter-in-law of a desk worker. There’s nothing for me. I feel like a robot, doing the same task over and over again. The obvious answer would be to go out, make some friends, and maybe get another husband, but I can’t seem to break free from this loop. What do I do now? 

Well, at the very least, I can start by getting out of bed. 

Rhea Evanthelle is a forty year-old housewife living in a luxury home in a small town named Toree. After waking up at seven in the morning and taking an entire hour to get out of her bed, she starts the day by freshening up in the bathroom. Despite getting a full eight hours of sleep, the bags under her eyes were still very apparent. 

Rhea was a fair-skinned, well-endowed woman in decent shape. She has short, silky black hair, purple irises, and luscious red lips. She rolls out of bed wearing a black tank top and white underwear. She hunches slightly, still sleepy despite getting a full eight; dragging her bare feet into the bathroom. 

She enters the spacious living room, fit with high-quality leather furniture and a massive television. She throws on a white cooking apron, snatches the television remote from the living room table, and turns the TV on before throwing the remote back on the sofa. The news is on and she listens as she goes over to the sink to wash a mountain of dishes she left inside. Calming music emanates from the TV as a man goes over a small report for the town.   

“Starting today the Toree prefecture will be remodeling some roads so be on the lookout for certain streets and sidewalks being cut off. Be prepared to take an extra detour if need be. Besides that, as reported by the weather lady, Ms. Murdor, it's a sunny day with nice weather outside, so don’t let the construction stop you from enjoying your day.”

Over the course of the small report, Rhea manages to wash a single small cup. She lays it to the side and sighs, lazily eyeing the mound of pots, plates, and pans. 

“I’ll finish those later…” She sighs. 

The dishes tip over, making all sorts of clinks and clanks. She dries her hands and looks around the room. She finds a pair of wrinkly green pants lying on the leather sofa. She lazily stuffs her legs inside of it and makes her way to the front door. 

“Another day…” She groans. 

Rhea opens the door, greeted by the beaming sun of the outdoors. She partially shields her eyes from its powerful rays, letting her hand down when her vision is adjusted to the brightness of the outdoors. A few frequent walkers pass by down the block, waving to the woman. Rhea timidly waves back. 

“Hey! Rhea! Good morning!” A couple waves enthusiastically. 

“G-Good morning…” She waves back showing little energy. 

At least one of us is having a good morning…

Rhea turns her back to the couple and makes her way down the street. 

The streets of Toree were modest with only a handful of people walking down the peaceful neighborhood. Some walked by themselves, others with friends, some with boyfriends and girlfriends, and others with an entire family. Rhea’s dim-lit eyes would always glaze over the passersby. 

Must be nice… 

Rhea continues down her usual route, making her way to a local market to pick up some ingredients to cook. Halfway down the street was a bunch of construction workers tearing up the tarmac with jack hammers and a bunch of other construction equipment. The road was blocked off by an array of traffic cones, stoppers, and a small ramp. The noise was very loud, but Rhea had no choice but to walk forward and persevere. The closer she got, the more she was inclined to cover her ears. 

Argh! Too loud! Did they have to start construction now? Why not when I’m at home? Away from here?  

Through sheer will and perseverance, she pushes past the construction workers and makes it to the other side of the street by using the sidewalk. On the other side of the street was a small local market. She heads inside and grabs a small brown bag. Suddenly, she is assaulted with a pang of exhaustion, sending her mind racing to an array of negative thoughts. 

Is this what I’m gonna be doing for the rest of my life?

No… there’s no way. 

I need to find a way out of this!

This isn’t fair! 

I lost the entirety of my youth because of my shitty father! 

I want it back! 

Give it back! 

“Rhea… Rhea…!”

Out of nowhere, Rhea finds herself standing in front of the cash register, an old balding short man. 

“O-oh… hi Mr. Vieho…” 

“Are you okay, Rhea? I saw you walking around mumbling to yourself. And then you were standing here staring into space for some time.”

Rhea reaches into her bag and pulls out some fruits and vegetables for the man to scan. 

“S-sorry about that… lately I’ve been thinking a lot to myself.”

Mr. Vieho takes the items and starts scanning while speaking. 

“What’s got your mind in a tizzy?” 

“Well… you know… since my husband passed away I’ve been thinking about remarrying…”

“Remarrying? Wow! That’s wonderful news! Not a bad idea either!”

“Oh? Have you ever married again?”

“Sure have! If things go smoothly, I’m set for my fifteenth marriage next month?”

“F-fifteen…?”

Just how good is your pickup game, old man?!

“Yes ma’am! Though, I’m never sure why they always divorce me after a certain time…”

I’m afraid they might just be in it for your money…

“I-I’m not sure either,” Rhea scratches the back of her head. “I’ve tried going on a few dating apps like Pinder or Tumble, but I don’t seem to have a lot of luck with it. In fact I often end up talking to a lotta weirdos sending… er… pictures of stuff I would have rather not seen.” 

“Goodness…”

“I didn’t know so many people wanted one-night stands. I’m not really lookin’ for that. Then again, for as long as I’ve been on the app, I doubt I’ll actually find something super meaningful…”

“Aww don’t say that, Rhea. You’re a nice looking young lady! I’m sure you’ll find something if you look hard enough!” 

“I dunno… somehow I kinda doubt that…” 

“Heck, if my fifteenth marriage doesn’t work out, would you want to be my sixteenth?”

Rhea stuffs the last of her groceries in her big brown paper bag and hands him money.

“Nice try.”

Mr. Vieho laughs.  

“I suppose it was worth a shot…”

She grabs her belongings and heads out. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Vieho.”

Mr. Vieho waves.

“See you tomorrow!”

Rhea makes her way out of the store and back down her original path. 

At the same time, a truck driver is frantically driving down the streets of Toree. Beads of sweat trickled down his rugged face. His eyes darted to his wristwatch. It is eight twenty-five. The truck driver gnaws on his lower lips so hard, he starts bleeding. He raises his head and looks down the street, seeing the construction on the street with the local market. His hands and fingers are death-gripping the steering wheel. 

“If I don’t take this path, then I’m gonna be late for work! I can’t be late for work! I can’t be fired! I’M SORRY!”

The truck driver slams his foot on the gas. Twenty miles, thirty miles, forty miles, the truck picks up speed at a rapid rate. The construction workers turn their heads to see the massive vehicle speeding down the street. At least four construction workers wave their hands, trying to show the driver not to come down; other construction workers point to the detour sign beside the construction, but the truck driver continues to speed up. His bloodshot eyes are glaring at the makeshift ramp. 

“LOOK OUT!” 

The workers yell and dive out of the way. Thinking that the driver might hit them, he turns the steering wheel and starts to swerve. 

WOOSH

The truck takes to the air, and as Rhea walks down the road with her head held down. When the amount of life on her face suddenly dimmed she raised her head to see the flying truck, speeding in her direction. And all of a sudden, she was petrified; frozen in fear. 

Wh-what the hell?! A truck?! Where did it…? How did it…? A-am I gonna die…? 

It felt as though time moved in slow motion as a flurry of thoughts entered her mind once more. 

W-wait… I… I don’t wanna die…! This isn’t how I wanted to go out! I wanted to do more! There’s still more I need to do! I can’t just die here! I-

BOOM

CRASH

SMASH

TINK

The truck lands on top of Rhea, mushing her body into a pancake and destroying some nearby vehicles and buildings. Underneath the massive vehicle, her body oozes a pool of crimson blood. As the sound of smoke erupts from the truck, an array of sirens and shouting surround it, with citizens running and checking on the scene. 

“Wh-what happened?!”

“Why is there a truck here?! Did some idiot really try to go past the construction?”

“H-hey! I think I see a body down there! We need to call an ambulance!”

“There’s no way that person survived… they’re definitely dead… that’s so sad…” 

Rhea’s world faded into obscurity, engulfed by a blanket of concern, pity, and hopelessness. Darkness takes her world, covering her in the evolved form of despair, death. 

I… I don’t……… want to……… die…………