Jay Craig, 36 year old divorcee (saktongmanyak) [Publishes Mondays and Thursdays]

Introduction: This branch is a linear story following a divorcee who gets the app, and I plan for the app to help him realize that life isn’t so bad after divorce. I plan to explore themes similar to the David Walker branch by Fantasy, ultimately building a romantic harem by the end. If you’re familiar with that branch, the AMA in this will closely follow how it works in that branch as well. I will also eventually explore an incestuous relationship (father-daughter), so hopefully you’re into that. Other kinks may appear as the story goes along. Tone-wise, it may get a bit dramatic (like this first chapter), but I do plan to have it be balanced with some levity. There are stretches where the app isn't as prominent, as I do spend some time fleshing out characters, but the prominence of the app will come back eventually.

The chapter titled PROLOGUE after this chapter is an anniversary special and would be better read after you catch up with more of the story first. I'll link it in the chapter that it would best fit in, so don't worry.

You wonder if it would be instantaneous.

It should be… but maybe the roof would be a safer bet.

You look down to the alley below from the external fire escape connected to your apartment on the 3rd floor of your apartment building, smoking a cigarette, and contemplating for the nth time if falling three stories is enough to give you a quick and painless way to go. You’d go to the roof to increase your chances but that means climbing stairs; and you know, based on previous attempts, you’ll chicken out before you even reach the top.

You’ve been contemplating it since the divorce had been finalized. Not enough that you’ll push through with it, but frequent enough that you know one more bad day and you just might.

You try to remind yourself of all the reasons why you need to keep chugging along but only one really comes to mind — your 19 year old daughter, Stella.

She would probably curse you to rot in hell in her eulogy if you decide to leave her alone with her mom. She hates your ex-wife, Diane, as much as you do or maybe even moreso, for cheating on you with her co-worker, Ron. Being an adult when the divorce happened, custody was no longer an issue and she basically promised her mom she would never forgive her when she heard why you and her mother were breaking up.

In retrospect, a part of you didn’t want her to have that kind of strained relationship with her mother; but at that time, it was the only painful blow you could deal to Diane and you relished in the pain your daughter caused her mother when she said those words.

That being said, Stella was already an adult and going to college, so maybe her dad taking a dirt nap wouldn’t be such a big deal for her. She can take care of herself now. Plus, she has a full athletic scholarship for volleyball, so she doesn’t have to worry about tuition. Her inheritance from you going splat in an alley should probably allow her to live comfortably too, in case she wants to push through with the non-forgiveness plan she has towards her mother. Hell, maybe it could even mend that relationship since you’ll them to grieve together.

Yeah, right. Like Diane gives a shit about you anymore. She didn’t even give a shit about the life you built together in the divorce proceedings. She only asked for her personal belongings. She let you keep the apartment, didn’t argue for visitation rights, even agreed to forfeit everything inside the joint bank account as well as any royalties from the previous books you’ve gotten published. She wanted nothing to do with you anymore. Probably why the divorce proceedings went so smoothly. You hated her for that. It made you feel like yesterday’s garbage. Almost 20 years together, including the time before you got married. Gave it all up — like it was nothing.

“Fuck!” you exclaim, as the cigarette burned your fingers. You’ve been so lost in thought that you forgot about the cigarette you were smoking and just had it burn out with probably only dragging on it twice. What a waste —

Just like your marriage.

Just like your life.

You grip the metal railing of the fire escape, playing chicken with the concrete of the alley below like you’ve done countless times now.

You actually lift your leg over the metal railing this time.

~ DING DONG ~

Huh. Saved by the bell.