Thank you ...

So here is what I "heard" you saying.
1. You started out with optimism
2. You then switched to hope.
3. You then switched to the opposites (according to Aquinas) of hope (= "presumption" or "despair".
4. You then converted these back (in reverse of step 1) to express what seemed like pessimism.

And, yes, the distinction you make here between the general "after life" and the more specific kind of after life that is "eternal salvation" is an important and valid nuance.