I want this chapter to move you to tears. I WANT it to. I only hope I possess the capacity to hit you properly in the feels. Enjoy.

There's something about waking up today that feels better than most others. I feel like I'm glowing, like I've evolved into a greater human being. That's the way she makes me feel about myself.

Monika... she was so thoughtful. So selfless... everything she did, was to make my life better. I can't imagine she could do anything more than she already has. My life is getting better with each passing day; I'd even be so arrogant to assume it's approaching perfection. If anyone was capable of improving it to that point, it was definitely her.

As I got out of bed that morning, I look next to my pillow: she's not there. Huh. At least I've gotten a little more comfortable with that. I mean, I can't just wake up every morning and have a heart attack when Monika's not next to me. She's a big girl, she can do whatever she wants. Heh, I have been working on being less clingy!

I walk into the kitchen, and Monika is in there armed with a slice of toast and a butter knife. She's smearing that ume plum jam that she's been LOVING lately all over it. She notices me and flashes a smile.

"Morning, sweetie! I know it's your day off, so I let you sleep in~"

I rub my eyes a few times. I want to see the beautiful work of art named Monika with a clear vision. Gah, she's so lovely in the mornings... hair down and messy, an adorable white tanktop... and she loves to walk around in her underwear. I just love her carefree spirit... it's amazing how she's adapted to the world. It feels so natural to her, like she was meant to be here. Like she was never a computer program. Hell, Monika could probably rule this world one day.

"Would you care for some toast?"

I snap out of my thoughts and see Monika extending a piece of toast, a warm smile on her face.

"No thanks." I politely decline. "I'd rather go check the mail."

Monika shrugs, and takes a bite of the toast in her hand. "Your loss! Mmmm mmmm~!"

I smile at Monika's enthusiasm over mere toast, and make my way outside to the mailbox. Along the way, my mind just wanders. I've walked so many times to the mailbox, my brain can completely divert elsewhere and my body will still perform the function of checking mail like a robot following an input command. That, combined with the lovely weather, was a very comfortable setting for daydreaming.

The topic on my mind as I slowly walk towards the mailbox is... what else would it be? I'm wondering what kind of extraordinary adventure Monika will take me on next. Will she teach me a second language? Will she make me a better singer? Will she inspire me to run for office?! With that girl, the possibilities were endless. I did know one thing though... I would always emerge a better person at the end of the day.

Before I know it, I'm stopped in front of the mailbox. I reach my hand up and open it... and I'm greeted with what I assume to be an unpleasant sight. Holy shit... I've never had that many white envelopes in my mailbox before! What the hell?! I hate to pry in her affairs... but maybe it's time to ask Monika what she's been up to after I go to work every day.

I walk back toward the house and all I can think about is a multitude of bills I have to pay. Good god, how will we survive! What if I have to sell the house?! Will Monika stay with me even if we have to live in that cardboard box I still have from when I purchased a tv?

...But once I stop and take a look at these envelopes, things start to... well, they're still not adding up. Seriously, where the hell did all these come from?! This one is from a mobile device company. This one is from a... toothpaste company?! This envelope is from some baked snack corporation. This is all incredibly baffling to me!

"Monika! Monika!" I call out as soon as my foot is back in the door. She seems not the slightest bit worried as she looks over at me, grinning with a piece of toast in her mouth.

"Hmmm?"

I drop the envelopes on the table. "What the heck are all these?!"

"MMM!"

She nearly chokes on her food as she quickly stuffs it in her mouth and chews rapidly. Judging from her body language, she DID know what this is about.

"Ah! These are my checks! Ahahaha! Yes! Excellent!"

...I'm dumbfounded.

"Checks?! What checks?!"

Monika picks one up and gives it to me. "See for yourself~"

I stick my finger in the corner and drag it horizontally, ripping the envelope wide open with excessive force. Inside is a little rectangle... oh my god! It's... it's fucking money?!

"Monika... how in god's name did you GET THIS?!"

Monika puts her arms bashfully behind her back. "Ahaha. I was hoping you'd ask, darling. I'll be more than happy to show you... but first I wanna open the rest of them~!"

Well... this is different. My heartbeat is no longer the rhythmic thumping of impending doom... but the ecstatic pounding of excitement. All these envelopes... all of them had little rectangles with numbers on them. And those numbers would accumulate to money, money that would help us even more than my job already does.

"Monika... this is amazing." my voice is nearly a whisper as I look through all of the checks, each one from some different advertising firm.

"I'm glad you're happy, my love. I did this all for you." Monika whispers softly. I look over... and she has the most alluring bedroom eyes. They send a shiver through my spine that makes my skin tingle.

"...Now. Why don't I show you my little projects~?"

In the bedroom, Monika sits down at my computer and fires it up. In no time she's on the Internet, and she seems to already have a destination in mind as she pressed only a couple of keys and the autofill completes the rest of the address. With a finger on the "Enter" key, I open my eyes wide to see what she's done.

I'm greeted by a green background, with puffy pink letters. The design on the webpage is adorable, but at the same time... incredibly sophisticated-looking. I rub my eyes a few times to make sure I'm reading this right.

The title, in big pink letters, reads:

"YOUR REALITY"

"Do you like that name? Is it too cheesy?" Monika asks with a chuckle.

"What is this?" are the next, natural reaction words from my mouth.

"It's my blog site! Look~!"

I look at the subheading:

"A place to share your stories and embrace living."

"Hello! My name is Akane Green, and this is my website for just talking, but most importantly, celebrating this thing we call life. The gift of life is the most wonderful thing you can ever receive on this Earth. That's why, every day, we need to celebrate our continued existence by keeping precious memories alive and sharing our unique experiences with the people around us!

Rules and Guidelines:

1. No vulgar posts or swearing allowed. Always keep it classy, ahaha~!

2. Be courteous and respectful of the opinions of others. It's easy to want to take personal jabs at someone you disagree with, but that's not how to properly debate. Flaming is not welcome here~

3. Positivity is always a welcome sight... but it's okay to be sad too. Just don't let that negativity manifest into lashing out at others, who aren't to blame for your trouble. But we can always try to help you through the hard times with love and support. Always support your fellow bloggers with positivity~

4. If you want to discuss media, make sure to use the (SPOILER TAG) before spilling something juicy! Ahaha~!

5. Spam posts and soliciting links will be deleted by the Moderator... yours truly~!

I look the page up and down... there's already archives of people chatting here! Everything, from family drama to relationship advice, to the latest movie in theaters... Monika was like a charismatic flame, attracting them like moths. There was something about her that just made them want to come here of all places. It was amazing, the things Monika was capable of with just her mind and her charming personality.

"And if you're wondering where the money came from... scroll down."

I scroll down, and sure enough... there's ad space in multiple areas. There was quite a bunch of ads too... what mainly impressed me was how smooth I was able to scroll, despite them all. When Monika designed this website, she made sure it was perfect down to the last macro.

Suddenly, Monika reaches over and clicks a new tab.

"And this one... is my personal favorite."

She presses the "Enter" key, and I am presented with a pleasant mahogany background... almost like a book. In fact, there's a giant book logo and right next to it, in fancy white letters... I can't believe it...

"THE LITERATURE CLUB"

"...What."

"A place to share writing, poetry, and true passion for literature."

...I'm breathtaken.

"Hello everyone! My name is Akane Green, a lovesick dreamer and a writer. If there's one thing in the world I hold a passion for, it's literature. Pen to paper, eyes to words... the fluent rhythm of an image being conveyed through vocals. Literature is my true love. I have created this website to give you all a chance to join me in my passion in life. This is a haven, for all aspiring writers, poets, and dreamers. There is no judgement here: we're all on equal footing, all of us united under one passion. The passion for the written word! So sit back, put your fingers to the keyboard, and pour out your soul to me! Ahaha~!"

"M-Monika... I have no words."

"I hope you didn't take that 'true love' thing seriously, ahaha. I was just hamming it up~" she replies with a grin.

No... that was the last thing on my mind. Right now, I was only trying to fathom how Monika could have progressed this far in so little time. It seems like just yesterday, she was an excited little kid riding in a car for the first time. And now... she's on my computer, and she's doing what she loves. Monika, the girl who had once been trapped in a hellish, never-ending nightmare, robbed of her freedom... and now she was capable of this. She was carving out a life for herself. She was making her story! This was Monika's way of saying she's alive and she wants to make the most of the life she's been given.

"I hope you don't think I did this entirely out of selfish motives." Monika continued, leaning over and pressing her head against mine. "The money? It's all yours. I was tired of not pulling my weight. This is my way of repaying you... for taking such good care of me."

...I literally couldn't hold them back. I blinked a few times, feeling my eyelids get heavy. The stinging of wetness was followed by glassy vision.

And then... the tears fell from my eyes. They poured... and streamed down my cheeks without restraint.

"...Huh?"

I immediately got out of the chair and threw my arms around her, a flurry of sniffles following. I buried my head in her shoulder and just... let them fall. The entire front of her shirt must have been stained in seconds, but I couldn't stop. I just... couldn't stop. This was such a humbling, moving sight for me.

Screw the money. Screw "pulling her weight". I didn't give a shit about any of that. To see Monika create these beautiful things, to see her happy, ambitious, doing what she loves... it filled me with an indescribable joy. A joy that can't be conveyed through words: only by the wetness that leaked from my ducts. She deserved this... she deserved to have these human pleasures. Have hobbies, have goals, have a reason to get up and smile in the morning. She deserved the simple luxuries that any other human being on the planet would take for granted.

Monika didn't seem to understand why I was crying. She must have thought I was happy about the money. Nonetheless, she put her arms around me and gently stroked the back of my head as I stand there and let the tears spill. I was incapable of words, even the ones that could properly explain my reaction.

"You seem happy, my love. Did I do well?" she asks.

...Even now, she wants to know if she made ME happy. No, Monika... this isn't about me. This is about... how damn beautiful you are. I want to see you like this always. I don't ever want there to be a day on Earth that you're not fulfilled. This is YOUR life, Monika. This is your reality.