Deepening addiction.

Her boss was the sole reason she was able to pay her rent monthly and even save some cash to buy that VR helmet.

She had a lingering fear that he had ulterior motives behind his actions and was only doing things for his own benefit. The more she tried to distance herself from him, the more afraid she became of the potential consequences.

Worried that the longer she resisted his advances, the more unfavorable the outcome would be for her. She has to pay her loan quickly and get out of here.

"All done Anna, thank you for helping me out." Marco interrupted her thoughts while cleaning after himself "I'll hand my results over and hurry home."

"How is Daniella, everything is going well?" Anna asked and moved her samples closer to the microscope.

"She is going to a second grade in December, we are so proud of her, she really is our little angel." He lightened up and took his sheets, checking on his results with a fleeting glance that soon turned into a fixed gaze as he counted the results.

"Well hurry up then, you might catch her and see her off for school today." Anna rushed him and adjusted the chair after him to be able to sit comfortably. Her actions evoked a quiet laughter from him, and after accepting the kind gesture, he quickly left the lab.

She worked with preciseness and quickly got over the first 5 hours. 30 minutes for lunch, which was given for free at the cafeteria. It was the only solid meal she was able to eat, usually relying only on squishy protein bricks and vitamin tablets.

Her loan payments were high and so her rent, there was not much room for a healthier diet.

Unfortunately, the plate had to pass a certain weight limit, or she would get much bigger portions thanks to that lovely cook, looking like a typical grandma from old movies.

She would always smile at her and ask how her day was, with genuine concern. One of very few sincere people in this world, she was lucky to get to know.

As lunch break ended, all of them got back to their workspaces. The rest of the day was nothing ordinary, her boss had meetings the whole afternoon so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Anna rushed from the bus, quickly running through dangerous streets around her neighborhood, carefully picking her way to be always under camera's supervision.

Despite feeling hungry and tired, she couldn't get rid of her growing excitement to see the sun and greenery from the VR game. It all felt so real. Even the air was so much lighter than this dense smog she knew for her whole life. And the smell of old wood in their room, as well as the warmth of her lover's body. Just unreal.

Anna logged in two hours in advance, but as soon as she woke up, the anxiety kicked in, the spot next to her was empty.