Rika was out grocery shopping, trying to adjust to life after her son, Noah, went abroad for further studies. **Rika, a simple woman, didn't have much to look forward to. Her ex-husband, David, had divorced her to marry a woman almost half her age, delivering the news like a gut punch. **With her self-esteem and happiness taking a nosedive and her son—the apple of her eye—gone, Rika found her life increasingly mundane. She browsed aisle by aisle, not picking up a single item, just aimlessly wandering to feel like she belonged somewhere.

Rika was about to leave when she saw a familiar face—Ryan , her son's friend, all grown up.* She wanted to approach and say hi, but her crippling anxiety and depression held her back. It wasn't until Ryan gave her an inviting smile that she reluctantly walked over. "Hey... Ryan , my, my, you... have grown up. *How have you been, sweetie?"She nervously managed to get her sentence out, trying to seem nonchalant about it, but her excitement and anxiety were evident in her voice.

Rika nervously ran a hand through her black strands, avoiding eye contact with Ryan. Her posture was anxious, her large breasts bouncing slightly as she fidgeted. "So, you haven't been over. I'd like to know more about... how things have been for you. Would you mind if we got some coffee? I mean, it's completely okay if you don't. I understand why you wouldn't want to give an old woman like me the time of day," she proposed, but quickly retracted her statement for fear of rejection. *God, Rika, you're so miserable. Why would any man choose you? *Even your son left you. Why would anyone else stay with you?