The water was taking longer than usual to warm up today.

It was like it knew.

Penny let her fingers move under the gushing faucet, waiting in silence for it to heat up. She liked it to be blistering hot. She liked to emerge from a bath with her skin the same shade as her fiery hair.

She'd had a terrible evening at work. But this wasn't anything unusual. She knew this was coming; everyone knew. And how could they not? When you date a celebrity, there's no such thing as private business. There was no discretion or tact, just blank stares and jaded whispers. They all knew. From the homeless angels she happily served day in and day out to the blank, cheery news reporters on channel six.

Hammer had cheated on her. Not like it was the first time.

And how could he not? As he had so sweetly put it when she confronted him, he loved her. But he needed "variety." Man can't survive on veggies alone, he'd chuckled. A man needed a little meat. A little spice. And Penny had been a big dish of unsalted broccoli he'd been munching on for a year and a half. His palate was aching for something new, something saucy. The healthy diet had left his stomach rumbling.

Besides, he reminded her, it's not like Penny could leave. Unless she wanted her hard work in the homeless shelters to go away. Unless she wanted to be ruined completely for any other man in this city once he spread a few "harmless lies".

And then he kissed her cheek and told her he really, truly loved her. Why else would he have given her that ring if he didn't?

Ah yes, the ring. She looked down at the large, gaudy, yellow gold and huge rock sparkling lifelessly up at her. She hated yellow gold, not that he'd bothered to find out. Why wouldn't he want to marry her? Who wouldn't want to anchor themselves to a sure thing? A safe thing?

A convenient thing?

Hammer may have been an idiot, but alas, he wasn't stupid. He knew the day would come where he wouldn't be able to sweep people off their feet so easily, so to have a little missus at home would come in handy in those lonely, upcoming years. Besides, the public loves a good, honest MARRIED man. Especially when he's married to such a soft, sweet, kind hearted little lady such as herself.

She often thought back to the day Hammer had publically announced they were fucking at the revealing of his monument. How offhanded he'd brought it up, as if it were the most casual thing in the whole world to air one's sex life to a room full of people. She thought of the shame in her face as she scuttled off stage and into the safety of the back storage room until it was all over. She should have ended things then and there, but the meek little mouse just didn't know how. Especially after all he'd done for her and the city's homeless.

There had been rumors that Dr. Horrible was supposedly going to show up to the ceremony and kill her much beloved boyfriend, and sometimes, she wished he had. Maybe he, or even she, would have been better off dead.

Yes, dead. Dead instead of avoiding sad, disapproving glares of coworkers and strangers alike. Not even the regulars, like bag lady Barbara had made eye contact with her. White Haired Willie hadn't even said "see you tomorrow" to Penny on her way out today like he always did.

It was like he knew.

The water, finally hot and filling the bathtub to capacity, needed to be turned off. Penny turned the shiny chrome knob to the right until it stopped and then paused to listen. But the house was empty; Hammer wasn't home.

Ah, home.

The big, creaky house in the neighborhood far from her job and friends. The house with endless rooms and corners full of empty air. The one she slept in alone almost every night. It had been Hammer's pricy dream home, his ultimate nest egg. She remembered how he'd put a huge, muscular arm around her and cheerfully declared how he could already envision little hammers running around here.

Penny shuddered at the idea of children with that man. He'd never be here because he was bored with her. And they'd be just like him and become bored of her too. Or, perhaps even more tragic, they'd be just like her and resent their mother for marrying and subjecting them to such a prick.

Penny began to strip away her clothes. She spotted her reflection in the mirror and turned to look. Her naked body was all bones and skin. Hammer liked his women skinny so that's what she had become. Her breasts, naturally small, seemed nonexistent. She cupped them and felt tears well in her eyes. Hammer's dream girl glared darkly at her in the mirror as she turned away to step into the bath.

She placed her tall, cold glass of Moscato on the bath's edge and her prescription on the other side. She glanced back to the sink and made sure she'd laid out her robe. She was careful to pick her old pink flannel one, the one Hammer hated so much. He wanted to see it when he came looking later.

As the steam coated her cold face, she thought of her encounter at the Laundromat earlier. She had a nice, energy efficient washer and dryer unit in her home, but the clothes always seemed cleaner when she took them back to her old stomping grounds. She and Billy sat and forced down some frozen yogurt. She'd asked him if was afraid of death and he'd said no. That he was sure it was a lot like falling asleep.

Billy had seemed so happy as of late. He was dating a new girl; a curvy thing with thick brown hair and a pretty smile. He seemed healthier, more at ease with the world. He smiled more, he hummed more; he was a man in love. But every so often, she still caught him staring over an open washer, as if he had something to say. And she often wondered why she never asked him what that was exactly. Billy, at the end of their visit today, waved her off and said he'd see her Thursday.

It was as if, she thought tearfully, he had no idea.

She opened the bottle of pills and chased down her first sleeping pill with a long sip of wine. The sweet taste burnt her tongue and throat a little and she smiled. Last night, as she and her pitiful fiancé fucked in their California King, she could only think of being free from him so soon. She thought of not having to wake up to his pompous face every morning, how she'd never have to listen to his obnoxious stories over and over again, how she'd never have to lay under him and take his sweaty grunting again.

She was an over sexualized object to him. There was never a time where he considered helping her get off or take into consideration what she'd like. But that night, despite his heavy sweating and repeated "oh mama" comments, she orgasmed. She came with a gripping, clenching spasm at the thought of her soaring freedom.

She took another pill and another sip. The warm was becoming more and more soothing, especially since she'd added lavender oil to the water. She thought of her last meal; tofurky and mashed potatoes on all the nicest, fanciest china they had. And didn't bother to do the dishes.

There was still time to change her mind, she thought as she popped another pill and finished her decadent drink. She could slither from the tub and into the bedroom, perhaps to stare into the closet to ogle her wedding dress.

Yes. The giant, fluffy monstrosity Hammer's equally unbearable mother had helped her to pick out. The way the huge, sparkly thing had swallowed up her tiny body was repulsive. She looked like a little, sexless girl playing dress up in mother's clothes. It devoured her, took away everything that distinguished her as her.

How hilariously symbolic.

Penny's eyes grew heavy. How long had she been soaking now? She turned her Pandora station to nature sounds. She wished, as she had every day since she had decided on this a month ago, that there was a way she could have done this outside. But alas, in her land locked prison, there were no natural bodies of water around. And she didn't want it to seem accidental or on any fault that wasn't her own. No, she wanted them to know. She needed them all to know.

The room was staring to become blurry. She smiled tiredly and wondered if maybe she'd wake up and it'd be sunny out. She'd find herself in a quaint, bright house with yellow curtains and pretty pictures on the wall. Children would be playing outside and there'd be laughter and cheering. The house would smell like vanilla coffee and sandalwood candles. She'd be warm from sleeping in her favorite robe as Billy would come up behind her, wrapping his thin arms about her middle, and kiss her on the cheek. Wait….why was she thinking of Billy at a time like this? He had nothing to do with this.

He had everything to do with this.

She wanted to cry in that moment, but it was too happy a moment to waste with tears. He'd receive the letter she sent him in the morning and he'd know why. But he'd never know how she felt. Why burden the delicate boy with foolish feelings of whimsy? It wasn't as if he'd ever been more than a friend to her anyway.

The warm water was so inviting. It opened its arms to her and beckoned in her weary soul. It promised to heal and sooth her, to take her away from this Stepford hell. Her hand sunk to the bottom of the tub, the ring landing with an almost inaudible "plink." She smiled, faintly as she water came right up to her nose. Yes, she closed her pretty little eyes, lavender was the perfect smell. The smell of sleep and relaxation and….and zen….and dryer sheets.

Penny fell asleep, dreaming of Billy.