The story

The beautiful girl with long hair had been in front of the mirror for about an hour. She cut her long hair, haphazardly, without paying attention to its length.

"What are you doing?" asked Adam, the man sitting on the bed behind her.

The girl stopped her movements, her eyes empty.

"Will I still be beautiful like this?" she asked.

Adam smiled and looked at her intently. "You're always beautiful, Ashley, no matter what hairstyle you have" he said calmly

"But why did you cut it?" Adam asked

"My head feels so heavy" Ashley said softly.

The girl finished cutting her hair. "Today, as usual, I'll go to work, even though I'm very tired"

Adam stood up and approached Ashley, who was about to leave the room. Adam gently patted Ashley's head.

"You have to be strong, there will be beautiful days ahead because of your hard work"

Ashley nodded briefly, then bid farewell to Adam, without a smile, without any expression. She left her man.

No, she was lying. She had resigned from the company where she worked a long time ago. She had been pretending to go to work all this time, hiding it from her family and even from her man, Adam.

Lately, Ashley had been going to the edge of the old lake, lost in thought. The lake was now green with algae, inhabited by many wild animals and weathered fountain statues. Rumor had it that the lake was haunted and had been abandoned by visitors.

Ashley stood, gazing at the emptiness of the lake, devoid of any beauty. In the silence, a footstep echoed, a beautiful woman with a serene face, wearing a knee-length dress and low heels, was an unusual sight at this deserted lake. Why would such a beautiful woman visit this abandoned lake?

"Do you know, there are many ways to meet death?"

The woman said oddly, catching Ashley off guard. Who was she to suddenly talk like that? Was she crazy?

"I have been called by the Thanatos to journey to death," the woman continued.

Ashley stared at her.

"Do you want to try it? To meet Thanatos?" The woman looked at Ashley with deep, flat eyes, seemingly burdened by something heavy, her gaze melancholic.

"Hahh...

Hahh...

Here you are."

A tall man ran toward the woman, panting. The woman simply lowered her head and surrendered.

"Come back. Don't think about it anymore" the man said, holding the woman's hand, then bowing his head to apologize to Ashley, who had been confusedly witnessing the scene.

Ashley stared back at the lake and sighed softly. Ah, what is she thinking?

The sky darkened, she returned to her apartment with two coffees she had bought from the store.

"I'm home" Ashley was greeted by her man's warm smile.

"Welcome back, I've prepared dinner" Adam said.

Ashley smiled thinly.

"Thank you."

Adam smiled sweetly, his gaze gentle, his aura positive. He was handsome, his voice smooth, and his nature was like an angel.

Ashley sat at the dining table, placing the coffee she had just bought. "How's your job?" Adam asked while scooping food onto the plate.

"Fine" Ashley replied shortly.

Adam stopped his movements. "Why have you been so down lately?" This time, Adam looked at his girl seriously, his eyes focused on Ashley.

"Are you hiding something from me?" he asked again.

Ashley shook her head slowly.

"Just tell me what the problem is," Adam said, looking slightly angry. He sensed that something was being concealed from him, noticing the change in his girl's behavior.

"I know every time you come back from work, you act like this. You can talk to me" he insisted.

Ashley just shook her head, now tears welled up in her eyes, and she continued to shake her head.

"I won't stop until you tell me what's really going on!"

"Enough..."

Ashley held her head, hitting it, occasionally taking a breath, gasping, feeling suffocated.

"We need to talk about this," Adam pressed, not willing to give up.

"Enough, please..."

This time, Ashley stomped her feet, hitting her head harder, tears streaming down, her chest felt tight.

"Ashley!!!" The man shouted loudly.

Ashley also screamed, overwhelmed by depression, her emotions boiling over. She couldn't bear the suffocation in her chest anymore.

"Enough, Adam!!!!!!"

Ashley slammed all the food on the table, shouting continuously while hitting her head.

Adam fell silent; this time, he didn't calm Ashley down.

Ashley looked at Adam, terrified. Why wasn't he hugging her, calming her, or helping her regain her peace of mind? She wanted Adam to embrace her again and apologize for her uncontrollable emotions earlier.

God, please, not now.

Ashley felt scared seeing Adam just staring at her, not uttering a word. His gaze was empty, and he no longer emitted the positive aura she always felt from him.

Ashley ran out of the apartment, running as hard as she could. Her tears continued to flow and blurring her vision. She ran as far as possible to avoid seeing Adam's terrifying face.

The night grew darker, and she didn't know where to go. Her eyes caught the woman she had met at the lake earlier. The woman looked at Ashley with her usual melancholic gaze.

"Now you believe, don't you? Thanatos, the god of death, will take you to a better world" the woman said.

Ashley just stared, indifferent. Her mind was in turmoil. The woman left Ashley and entered a multi-story building nearby. Ashley remained silent, suddenly curious.

Can the god of death give me a better life?

A moment later, the tall man she had seen at the lake also rushed into the building. Ashley just stared at him in confusion, she couldn't think clearly. Surely, this man wanted to meet the woman in this building. Typical relationship problems, she thought.

Now Ashley was alone, she envied the woman, who was always pursued by her man when problems arose, unlike her, who was now alone. Ashley wanted to turn back, she wanted to meet Adam again and apologize for her uncontrolled emotions earlier. As Ashley was about to turn around, a very loud noise startled her ears, as if a heavy object had fallen.

Ashley's eyes widened, she saw the two people who had been chasing each other lying there, covered in blood. The hands of the couple were entwined.

Strangely, Ashley felt no fear, instead, she smiled.

How beautiful.

Ashley's mind started to whirl, unable to distinguish between the world she was in and her subconscious mind, both blending together. Ashley unconsciously walked away from the scene and seemed to be guided by a gentle breeze until she stood in front of the old lake. Ashley smiled even wider when she saw that Adam was already there.

"You already know what I mean, don't you?" asked Adam.

Ashley nodded.

"I want to meet Thanatos," Ashley said.

Adam smiled and hugged Ashley, as usual, gently stroking her head.

"In this place, it's where we first met, and it's where I'll meet you again," Ashley said softly.

Adam nodded.

"Are you ready?" Adam extended his hand to Ashley.

Ashley firmly grasped Adam's hand, smiling sweetly at him. That night, the sky was beautiful, despite being pitch black.

Hand in hand, they walked toward the murky lake, each step making Ashley lighter. As they moved toward the center of the lake, Ashley's body felt increasingly weightless, enveloped by the cold lake water. She closed her eyes...

Thanatos, bring me to him.

Ashley remembered all the moments she had shared with Adam, their dating days, the old lake's memories. The lake had often been their place, where they enjoyed the sunset and picnicked together.

In July, Adam proposed to her. They planned to get married soon, and Ashley felt incredibly lucky.

But fate could change in the blink of an eye. A day after Adam proposed, he had a severe accident. Ashley, who was still in a state of bliss, suddenly found her feelings in chaos. Happiness was snatched away from her so quickly by fate.

Ashley couldn't accept the reality that Adam had left this world. But Ashley was stubborn, she didn't want Adam to be taken by God. After Adam's death, Ashley often believed that he was still with her, preparing breakfast together, having coffee together, and Adam always welcoming her home from work. Ashley chose to quit her job to spend more time creating Adam's illusions. Adam's presence became vivid in Ashley's eyes.

Ashley just wanted to stay with Adam, but she knew Adam would disappear and become unreal at any moment. Ashley kept looking for ways to be with Adam. Until she saw the couple she had met at the lake. For Ashley, Thanatos gave her a better life in death. Ashley, watching them die together, and she murmured to herself.

Ah, that's how they found how to be together with their true love.

And that night, her prayer was answered.