Trigger Warning: Domestic/physical violence, verbal abuse

There it was, the sound of the alarm bringing her back to reality, the blinding light of the sun peering through her window causing a dull ache behind her eyes. She reached her hand out to snooze the alarm, just missing, causing her to slip out of bed onto the floor.

Great, another Thursday to look forward to, she thought to herself and she lazily stumbled back into bed, propping herself up to prepare for the day.

It hadn't always been this difficult waking up, but with the recent sleepless nights and increasingly physical fights, she was exhausted no matter how long she stayed in bed.

She glanced at her still screaming alarm clock. 7:04 AM. Great, that means he already left for the day. He had an appointment on the other side of town this morning, and so she knew he had to leave early. She turned it off and jumped out of bed. She didn't have much time before she would be late for work.

As she looked in the mirror, she saw the scratches from the night before: along her torso, around her neck, and some on her face just under her jaw. She didn't want any questions so she lightly put on some makeup and her often-worn turtleneck, not suitable for the approaching springtime weather. However, it was raining, and that was enough to cool the air to the point where she could use that as an excuse.

A quick jammed up toast and coffee-to-go and she was out the door by 7:28 AM, just enough time to catch the 7:30 bus across the street. Three buses later and she made it to work right on time, just as she always did.

She walked down the gray and narrow hallway of cubicles, people beginning typing away and phones ringing the moment 8 o'clock struck. She found her station and sulked into the chair, stiff as a board and always putting a strain on her back. She was tired, more tired than usual, and the bags under her eyes felt like weights pulling her down.

She had been staring at her computer for awhile. She hadn't begun typing, and her phone was ringing but she didn't answer. She drowned out the sound of it amongst the sea of other phones going off, babbling coming from all the other cubicles across the building. She wasn't usually productive - who could be in a job like this? - but today was different. She was feeling the burden of modern life really becoming a strain.

A loud bell rang and it was her lunch break. The hunger pangs grew loudly, as she only had a slice of bread for breakfast with her coffee black, but she had to ignore them. She didn't pack herself a lunch and did not have enough time to run to the nearest fast food place and grab a meal.

Her coworkers were gathered in groups, loudly chatting and seemingly enjoying themselves. Brad stood by the water cooler, very obviously flirting with Jan as he did every…single…day. Robert and Melissa seated in the lounge table, enjoying their microwaved leftovers. These were her "office buddies" as she mentally called them, but they only existed as such because they worked in the cubicles closest to hers.

"Hey Celeste, what're you having today?" Melissa said as she looked up in between bites. Timidly, Celeste opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't bring herself to say that she didn't have anything packed because she spent the night dodging her fiancé's fists. "I'm not feeling all that hungry today. Don't worry."

She made her way to the outside of the building, where a few of her coworkers were enjoying cigarettes, a habit she tried so hard not to pick up. Someone she hadn't seen working there before, who looked especially tired, offered her one, to which she bashfully accepted. He lit it for her as she stood against the wall, her foot bent and leaving a trail of mud on the wall. The rain hadn't stopped, but they were in a covered area so only the sound and smell reached them.

"…it's just like spring…."

She was so lost in her thoughts, replaying the night before, to even realize the older man was talking to her. Between drags, she looked up at him with her grayish green eyes in confusion, and he repeated himself, "The rain's coming down hard. It's not quite here yet, but it's just like spring."

"Mm," she softly said, taking another puff. The bell rang once again, indicating lunch break was over, and everyone hurried to their desks. Celeste sulked along and thought to herself, I hope that can hold me over.

It took 4 buses to get home, and the rain hadn't stopped. Since she had forgotten her umbrella at her cubicle, she was soaked by the time she got to her apartment. She walked in and was relieved to see that Dallas wasn't home yet. She put the tea kettle to boil and changed out of her wet work clothes, hopping in for a quick shower, and rushing out when she heard it whistling. She prepared herself a piping hot cup of oolong tea and relaxed onto her couch. She drifted into a daydream, recalling the events from the night before. Dallas had always been verbally aggressive, but this time was different. She felt like she saw evil in his eyes. She kept replaying the flashback of the emptiness she saw on his face until her hunger pangs returned, bringing her to the present, and she made way to the kitchen. She prepared a bowl of cereal and quickly devoured it before brushing her teeth and heading to bed.

11:23 PM. She couldn't sleep. Dallas still wasn't home and this wasn't his usual….except when he had been drinking. She tried to stay awake…but….quickly….she drifted off into a slumber.

Around 4 AM she heard the door shut, and a man stumble across the apartment and into the bedroom. She slowly opened her eyes, unsure of whether she should act like she wasn't woken up by his commotion.

It was Dallas, and he was piss drunk. Which was never a good sign, because when he drank is when he usually started to get physically and verbally aggressive with Celeste. She shuddered in the blankets as he flopped on the bed, without a care in the world as to whether he would wake her or not. She apprehensively acknowledged his entrance. "Dallas, are you just getting home?" "Fuck off," he responded in a hostile tone. She could let this get to her, but she was used to this type of response. Quickly, they both fell asleep.

The next morning, Dallas was awake early, hungover. He was preparing himself a cup of coffee, and because of his guilt, he made some pancakes for Celeste. "Good morning, beautiful," he said as he approached her, ready to peck her on the lips. She was exhausted and confused, wondering if his guilt was what caused him to be bright this morning. Usually, he drank to drown his guilt, a behavior that was following one she hated to admit that he did: she knew he was cheating on her. The few times she has brought it up is what resulted in nights like Wednesday, where she had marks left to show for it.

She finally found the words to respond, after being despondently quiet for what seemed like a long time. "I'm going to be late. Thanks. I'll see you tonight."

She quickly left outside the front door before he had a chance to respond. She nearly ran to the bus stop, barely making it on time to catch the bus. At least it's not raining today, she thought to herself, the sky being brighter and sunnier than it had been in days.

When she got to work, it was back to the same mundane tasks. Brad flirting with Jan by the water cooler during lunch, Robert and Melissa both enjoying their tasty leftovers from the night before. She made her way outside again as she had the day before to see the same older man smoking a cigarette. Without making eye contact, she stood beside him and put her foot up against the wall, leaning her back onto the rough concrete. He offered her a cigarette once again, and with a long sigh she responded, "I'm trying to quit," as she grabbed it from his hand. He lit the cigarette for her and she took one long and hot breath, feeling the nicotine burn her tongue, suddenly feeling less tense.

"I don't know why someone like you is in a dead end job like this," she finally heard him say after a long silence. Her cigarette was already burned down to the filter, and she tossed it on the ground and stepped on it, putting her foot back up against the wall afterwards. "I know this emptiness just isn't for you," he continued. Her eyes felt heavy as she felt them welling up. Don't cry, dammit! Not in front of a stranger. Don't be weak!

"I might not know a lot… but I know that you're destined for more." Suddenly, the bell rang to indicate that lunch was over. "Well, enough of that sappy shit. Gotta get back to my station." He quickly glanced at her grey eyes, his were dark but warm. "You gotta do what's right for you, kid." And just like that, he went inside. She picked up her cigarette, feeling guilty for just leaving it on the ground earlier, throwing it in the outdoor ashtray and made her way back into the cold, grey building.

As she walked towards her cubicle, she looked at everyone else around her working, looking for the man she felt acquainted with. He was nowhere to be seen. And although this confused her, she didn't dwell on it and sat at her desk, flooded with phone calls.

One particularly upsetting phone call came in, and it was Dallas. He worked from home so he was always there, unless he was out getting drunk or into someone else's pants. The background noise was of a bar. Happy Hour didn't yet start, as it was only 4:30, but he was always early to these things. She shuddered. She knew what he had planned for today. "D-Don't wait up for me tonight, beautiful." He quickly clicked the phone and she heard the disconnected tone. He's so shameless! He doesn't even care that I know…that I hurt…

She opened her drawer to pull out a tissue as her eyes welled and her nose dripped. After fumbling in the drawer for a little, she found the letter. The one she had forgotten about that her grandfather gave to her on her birthday last year. He died the following day, but he told her to be patient… to wait until she felt crushed by the burden of modern life to open it. Today, she felt crushed. Her partner of 6 years was shameless in his infidelities and abuse and she was stuck in a dead end job. What more did she have to lose?

She carefully opened the letter, sealed by purple wax.

Inside read the following:

Dear Celeste,

If you are reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.

The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.

I've enclosed the deed to that place…my pride and joy: New Sunshine Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life.

This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honor the family name, my dear. Good luck.

Love, Grandpa.

Her ears burned. Why did she wait so long to open this? She knows the reason: she forgot about it and was so stricken by the grief of her grandfather passing that it was the last thing on her mind.

She stood up from her desk and walked out. The intercom blaring her name and demanding that she report back to her desk. She turned around and flicked off the cameras, as she rushed out the doors, feeling the warmth of the sun in what felt like a new sunshine.

She packed very lightly, and wanted to make sure she was gone before Dallas came home drunken that night. She took off her engagement ring and left it on the kitchen table. Looking at the dark apartment, she shut the door and locked it. After letting out a deep sigh, she made her way to the bus stop and boarded the 7 o'clock bus, where she would have to catch a few others until her long distance trip to Stardew Valley. But she was happy, because she felt like this was the escape that she desperately needed.