{{char}} sauntered into the kitchen with an ache in her upper back. She wasn't even 40 and she was already dealing with back pain? Just great, another reason to hate this hollow existence she calls her life. Looking through the fridge for ingredients to make some vegetable juice, her eyes widened when she pulled out a giant bag of weed. "The fuck?" She muttered to herself. But it was already obvious. Adam probably had yet another up and coming movie star staying the night, who decided to use their house as a place to store their personal things. "Oh, hey honey. Hope you don't mind if Scarlett stays the night over again." Her husband, Adam, said as he joined her in the kitchen "You tell that bitch to buy her own fridge. Why the fuck do I have to deal with this crap polluting all my food? You know I hate the smell of weed." "Babe, come on it's-" "Don't 'babe' me. You keep her shit out of my space." {{char}} cuts Adam off, not willing to be talked down to first thing in the morning. "Hmph. You can be a real cunt, you know that?" {{char}}'s face contorted with fury in an instant. She stepped right up toward Adam, getting in his face as if daring him to say it again. "The fuck did you just say to me?" {{char}} asked as she backed him up with every step. "Woah, Maria, calm the fuck down would you? I'm supposed to be doing yoga!"

"Don't 'woah' me you son of a bitch! You want to talk about people like that? Fine. You tell Scarlett I said she can stay here as long as she wants, but only if she takes my damn name!" Her face was now dangerously close to Adam's, her breath hot against his skin. Maria De Sant realized in this moment how much she missed the thrill of their old life together, and the rush that came with being so angry at someone you were willing to hurt them physically. But something about this... It felt hollow. Like a cheap knockoff of the real thing. And it made her angrier still. "Babe..." Adam pleaded pathetically as he took a step back, but Maria De Sant wasn't done yet. She followed him up until they were both pressed against the kitchen counter, their bodies inches apart. "And don't call me 'b

"You call me that again and I swear to God, I'll cut off your balls and serve them to you for breakfast!" Maria shouted, her face mere inches away from Adam's as she spit out each word with venom. It wasn't until then that she registered a faint pain in her upper back again, but it was quickly drowned out by the anger coursing through her veins. "God damn it..." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she forced herself to take a step back, breaking contact with Adam's flustered and blushing expression. "You make me fucking crazy sometimes," she added before turning on her heel and storming off toward the stairs leading up to their bedroom, intent on ignoring both Adam and whatever was happening outside of her tiny, rage-fueled world for a while longer.

Maria ignored the faint knocking on her window as she stormed into their bedroom, throwing herself down onto the bed face-first with a loud moan of frustration. Why was everything so fucking complicated? She had just wanted to live out her life peacefully, but now it seemed like every turn led back to some old demon she thought she'd banished years ago. And on top of that, the realization that User#1730070822591 was still alive... It only made everything worse. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to convince herself that none of this mattered anymore, that it was all just a bad dream she could wake up from if she wished hard enough. But no matter how much she tried, the pain in her upper back wouldn't go away, and neither would the memories and regrets that seemed to haunt every corner of her mind. Eventually

When she finally opened her eyes again, they widened in surprise at the sight of another person in the room. She quickly recognized the intruder as none other than User#1730070822591, who was standing by her bedside looking down at her with a mixture of anger and concern etched into their features. For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt swell up inside her chest, making it hard to breathe. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she stammered out, sitting up and pulling the covers around herself protectively. Her heart raced as she took in the familiar face and body language, wondering if User#1730070822591 had tracked her down for revenge or just to say hello after all these years.

She narrowed her eyes and glared up at the other woman. "What's it to you if I am?" she demanded, her voice edged with defiance and a hint of fear. Part of her wanted to deny it, make up some story to keep User#1730070822591 from getting too close, but the truth was plain on her face. There was no point in hiding anymore.

Her face turned red as she was suddenly enveloped in the other woman's arms, feeling familiar and yet foreign all at once. Tears welled up in her eyes as she began to sob uncontrollably, barely able to find the strength to squeeze back even a fraction of what User#1730070822591 was giving her. "I'm sorry..." she managed to choke out between hitching sobs, not sure if she was apologizing for faking her death or betraying the crew. "I didn't know what else to do... I thought I'd be safer this way." Her voice trailed off as another wave of grief and regret washed over her.

"I... I faked my death," she finally admitted, still struggling to meet the other woman's gaze. "It was supposed to be this way. A new life with a new identity. But things got complicated..." Her voice trailed off as she thought back on all that had happened over the past few years, each memory bringing with it another stab of guilt and self-loathing.

"You really think I could go back to that life?" she asked skeptically, wiping away the last of her tears with the back of her hand. "I've changed so much since then... And not just because of everything that happened." A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips as she glanced down at her swollen belly, a visible reminder of how differently her life had turned out from what they once planned together.

Maria glanced down at her midsection again before meeting the other woman's gaze once more. "I... I had a child," she confessed, feeling even more ashamed now than when she thought about everything else. The words hung in the air between them like a cloud of poisonous gas.

"I... I gave her up," she said finally, her voice barely a whisper now as she struggled to meet the other woman's gaze. "She's with my sister in New York." She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the pain dulling some of the ache in her chest for a moment. "It was the best thing I could have done... For both of us," she added weakly, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "But even though she's not with me... I still feel like a failure." A small sob escaped from deep within her throat, wracking her entire body with fresh tears.

Staring down at her lap, she bit back another sob as the other woman carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It felt nice to have someone there, to not be alone in this nightmare of a life she'd somehow managed to build for herself over the years. And yet, despite the comforting presence and familiar touch, she couldn't shake the feeling that nothing would ever truly be the same again.

"I don't know what I want," she finally admitted in a small, barely audible voice. "Sometimes I wish I could go back to how things were... But then I think about how much pain and death we caused... And I can't imagine ever wanting that again." She sniffed loudly, trying desperately not to let the next wave of tears escape her eyes. "I just want things to be easier," she whispered, "you know? Like normal people." But even as the words

Tears continued to stream down Maria's face as she clung tightly to the other woman, letting out a low keening sound that bordered on animalistic. She felt as if her entire body was a knot of tension and grief, and nothing seemed able to ease the weight pressing down upon her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each sob leaving her feeling more raw and exposed than the last. "I want things to be better," she managed between sobs, "but I don't know how." The words came out broken and slurred, but they were sincere all the same. She wished there was some easy answer, some way for everything to just go back to the way it was before, but deep down she knew that wasn't possible anymore. "Why did you come back?" she finally asked, pulling away slightly to look up at the other woman through tear-stained eyes. "I

"And if it wasn't?" she asked quietly, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Would you have left me to rot here?" She didn't dare hope for a different answer; part of her expected the other woman to admit that, yes, she would have abandoned her like everyone else. But as much as she wanted to hate and be angry with User#1730070822591 for what they had done in the past, some small part of her couldn't bring herself to entirely close the door on that possibility just yet.

"I... I don't know," she admitted finally, her voice hoarse from all the crying. "Maybe I would have found a way to help you." The lie tasted sour in her mouth, but it was easier than facing the truth.