Maria anxiously clutched her bag as if it were her last support. "What should I do?" she whispered to herself, going through all possible scenarios in her mind.

"Is something wrong?" Matthew asked. His tone was calm, but a hint of concern flickered in his eyes.

"N-no, everything's fine," she replied with unease in her voice. Her gaze darted to the window, where the source of her distress was.

Derek was at her house, nervously biting his nails as he paced in front of the entrance. Getting out of the car, she met his gaze.

"Hello, Derek," she said with caution. But when she looked into his eyes, it became clear that something had changed. His face was pale, like a canvas, and his gaze was tired, with traces of sleepless nights.

"What happened to you?" she asked with concern.

"Maria, I apologize. I was drunk. I'm sorry. I hope I didn't harm you?" he confessed, almost in tears. "Since then, I can't sleep peacefully, and nightmares haunt me."

"What should I do to atone for my guilt?" he asked, his voice full of desperation.

"What did he do to you?" she inquired, as if not hearing his question, her expression filled with concern.

"Who are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the man you left with."

"I don't understand who you're talking about. I only remember pestering you, and then a colleague put me in a taxi when I was drunk."

"Perhaps he was so drunk that he has memory lapses," she thought, deciding not to disclose the details.

"No, you didn't do anything. You were drunk and unaware of your actions, so let's forget about that evening," she reassured him.

"Thank you," he said excitedly, grabbing her hands.

At that moment, Maria's heart pounded furiously. The scene of that evening flashed before her eyes. She was about to tell him to let her go, but suddenly, she heard a familiar voice.

"Maria, do you need help?"

She turned and looked at Matthew. Although he was tall and slender, losing to Derek in build, his swamp-colored eyes expressed fearlessness. The delicate features of his face, which usually gave him an air of nobility, now appeared hardened. He cast a serious gaze at Derek.

"Apologies," the security guard whispered, releasing her hands, seeing another man nearby.

"Everything's okay, Derek," she said, taking advantage of the moment, and entered the building, leaving the men behind.

As the door closed behind her, she stopped and exhaled. Gathering herself, she headed for her belongings.

Quickly gathering everything she needed, she looked around as if bidding a temporary farewell to her paintings. Glancing out the window, the black car remained waiting at the entrance, but Derek was no longer there. Relieved, she wrote a short note to Anne and left it on the bed.

***

Loading her things, she sat in the car, where the driver was already waiting for her. His gaze in the rearview mirror expressed concentration.

"I wanted to thank you," she said timidly. "I'm sorry you had to witness that unpleasant scene."

"Could I have acted differently?" he asked, his voice gentle. "I hope your boyfriend didn't scare you too much?"

"He's not my boyfriend," she said, raising her voice slightly. "Just an acquaintance."

"Oh, I see," he said with some relief, but she didn't notice, immersed in her thoughts.