Chapter 1
It was 8 in the morning, and Anna was late waking up again. Lately, mornings had become harder and almost unbearable, but she had to get up. Life doesn’t wait for anyone, and she had a job to go to.
How badly she wanted to quit. How badly she wanted to turn to the other side and close her eyes again.
Eventually, she got up. Rushing once more to get ready, stressed again about traffic on the main road and the possibility of being late.
Another day at a job she hated. Another day where someone would probably yell at her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her colleague, who asked how her weekend had been. Just like that, Anna snapped out of her head.
Another day where her boss would be in a bad mood and take it out on her. Nothing unusual. After all, he didn’t really like her. Maybe it was because she didn’t respond when he made a move on her. Maybe it was because she talked back when he spoke to her badly. Or maybe he had his own issues. No one really knew.
The hours passed, and all Anna could think about was going back home. To her comfort. To her safe space. Today was a difficult day. One of those days where you feel like you can’t take it anymore. One of those days where you feel mentally exhausted without even having done anything yet.
That’s how Anna felt. She even canceled her Monday workout, just to stay home and do nothing.
You see, she was struggling with depression. And lately, things had become much harder. She was tired of trying. Tired of waking up in the middle of the night because anxiety was suffocating her, along with the negative thoughts in her mind.
The clock hit 2:30. Break time. That meant she only had two more hours of work. At least they would pass quickly, she thought. And they did. She didn’t even realize how fast time went by until it was time to leave.
On her way back, she didn’t care if she got stuck in traffic. At least she was going somewhere she actually wanted to be—home.
Back home, it was the same as always. Unpaid bills. Clothes thrown on the floor. And her cat, who ran to her feet to welcome her the moment he saw her.
She wasn’t very good with money. Some might call her wasteful, or someone who spends too easily. Personally, I’d say she just made some bad choices and trusted the wrong people.
She washed her lunch container, fed her cat, took off her clothes, and lay down on the couch, wrapped in her blanket. She fell asleep. Better that way. After all, that’s what she wanted—to sleep so she wouldn’t have to think.
Hours passed, and she woke up.
“What time is it?” she thought, still dizzy from sleep.
9:15.
“Oh no… how am I going to wake up tomorrow?” she said out loud. Sometimes she spoke her thoughts aloud.
She got up, took a shower, and sat back on the couch. She didn’t go to the bed. It held too many memories. Ever since she broke up with Nikos, she avoided the bedroom. Only went in to grab clothes. The couch had become her new bed.
She tried to eat healthy, but she didn’t always manage. Some days she did well. Other days, she just wanted chicken nuggets and fries and to lie down.
Today was one of those days.
She made some nuggets, turned on Netflix, and sat on the couch to eat. She always needed something playing while she ate. It kept her mind occupied.
She knew she wouldn’t fall asleep right away. So she had her solution. She took a valerian pill and lay down.
She tried to distract her mind from anything that could bring tears to her eyes—like most nights.
Sometimes she imagined she was the main character in one of the series she watched. Other times, she imagined living in a different era, wondering what life would be like back then. And sometimes, she imagined that everything had gone the way she wanted—that she had the life she had always dreamed of.
Tonight, she became the protagonist of the series she had just watched.
And with that thought, she fell asleep.
