I lose all sense of awareness and let go completely, the alcohol coursing through my veins, intoxicating every part of me. Some men take advantage of this, pressing up against me a little too closely. It's only when one of them becomes too insistent, his hands roaming where they shouldn't, that I push back, revolting against his advances. His wounded ego leads him to shove me, trying to assert his dominance. I fight back, but before long, I see Andrea stepping in to restrain him, and I feel Andy grabbing my arm, pulling me aside.

"May, you're completely wasted—what the hell are you doing ?"

"Don't... don't yell at me. I'm just enjoying myself like you... like you wanted," I stammer, unable to stand still.

She sighs and leads me to the restroom. I'm not sure if it's from dancing like a wild thing or if my body is just rejecting the alcohol, but suddenly, I feel sick. I rush to the nearest stall and hurl everything from my stomach into the toilet. Andy gently rubs my back. I sit back, leaning against the partition separating me from the next stall.

"With that face, a panda family could adopt you without a second thought. You're as pale as a ghost, and the dark circles under your eyes are blacker than my ass."

"Thanks for the support, Andy, I really appreciate it," I reply sarcastically, resting my head against the partition with my eyes closed, drained from the night.

"Can you explain what happened ? Did you forget that you handle alcohol about as well as an oyster ?"

I glare at Andy before resting my head on my folded knees. We're interrupted by a woman knocking on the door.

"Are you almost done in there? Some of us need to pee."

"Shut your mouth and go drain it somewhere else !" Andy snaps, before turning her focus back to me.

Under her insistent gaze, and knowing we won't leave here until I spill my thoughts, I give in.

"Earlier tonight, when we were all dancing together, seeing you and Andrea so close and connected reminded me of Ezio. I couldn't bear the memory, so I drank until he disappeared from my mind."

"What do you mean ?"

"Not as much as you might think—only five shots."

Andy's thunderous laughter fills the small bathroom stall.

"Honey, five shots for you is like two for a normal person. To get to your level of drunkenness, we'd need to drink double, maybe triple, so don't say 'only' because for you, that's already a lot, little one."

"Don't call me a child just because I'm not as used to alcohol as you are, you drunk."

She pulls a face at me in response.

"Anyway, after that, you can imagine the rest. Drunk on alcohol, I started dancing in the crowd, and some guy who couldn't keep his hands to himself ruined everything, and here we are."

"May, alcohol isn't the solution to face your demons."

"I know, I know, but I wanted to see what it was like to spend just one evening without thinking about Ezio or seeing his face every time I close my eyes. To be so light, without a past, without baggage, and to live simply without being tortured. Just to feel that carefree sensation one last time. As if none of it had really happened, that it was all just a nightmare, and finally, I could feel free—without pain, without suffering, without ghosts following me like shadows."

Andy's shoulders slump under the weight of my revelation, and her gaze softens. Faced with my suffering, she seems to grasp the full extent of my inner turmoil, though she already suspected.

"I'm so sorry, May, for everything you've had to go through. I can never truly understand what you've been through, but I can promise to be here for you, to support you, to be the shoulder you need to cry on. Please, don't put yourself in unnecessary danger. Even though we're never far, I don't want to lose you senselessly when I'm here for you. If you need to get wasted, tell me, and we'll do it safely, but not in a place like this where predators are everywhere. You're worth so much more than that."

I smile at her and pull her into a hug.

"You know I wouldn't be here without you—I owe you so much," I say, my eyes moist with unshed tears.

"Just stay alive—that's all I ask. Without you, this world wouldn't be worth turning."

I pull back from her embrace, and she gently wipes away a tear from my cheek with her thumb.

"Come on, let's get out of here before Andrea tears the bar apart looking for us."

We smile at each other and, arm in arm, we leave. We quickly find Andrea stationed at the entrance to the restroom, and we return to the bar. I order a glass of water to clear my head.

"Guys, I'm going to head out. I've had enough for tonight. I'll see you later."

"Are you sure you're okay to go ? We can take you with us, and you can head back tomorrow."

"No, no, don't worry. Throwing up sobered me up instantly, and the water helped. I promise, I'm okay to drive."

"Well, drive safe and text us when you get home. Oh, and I'll return your dress tomorrow."

"Oh no, keep it—you wear it better than I do," I say with a wink before heading out.

As I step out of the bar, the cool night breeze is a welcome relief.

I take a deep breath and focus on finding my way. I walk through the streets, and it doesn't take long before I realize I'm lost.

"Damn it!" I curse under my breath.

Retracing my steps, I notice a figure following me. I take a turn down a side street, then another right, and another left, to confirm my suspicions—and they're confirmed. I quicken my pace, and the figure does the same. As I round a corner, I come face to face with a couple.

"Ex-Excuse me, but I think I'm being followed, and I'm lost. I'm looking for a parking lot near the city center. Could you please walk me there ?"

The couple exchanges a perplexed and worried look, then glances over my shoulder.

"There's no one behind you."

I turn around and indeed, the figure has disappeared. I face the couple again, trying to mask my fear with a relieved expression.

"Could you please just tell me where the parking lot is ?"

"Yes, it's the Costa parking lot. Just go straight, take the first left, then the second right, and you'll be there."

"Thank you so much. Have a good night."

I quickly walk away, then break into a run in the direction they indicated. I soon reach the parking lot and search for my motorcycle. I hop on, put on my helmet, and start the GPS to guide me home. I take off at full speed.

The ride goes smoothly until I notice blinding headlights in my rearview mirror. Another motorcycle is tailing me, speeding toward me at a frightening pace. As I accelerate, something grazes me, and I realize it's a bullet when it shatters my left mirror. I push the throttle, trying to shake them off, but their bike is more powerful and catches up to me. We engage in a desperate chase for what feels like an eternity, with me trying every trick to lose or unseat them, but to no avail.

Suddenly, in a sharp turn, I feel my bike losing control. Before it skids out from under me, I leap off to avoid getting pinned. I tumble across the road and quickly roll to the side as a horn blares. Despite the pain wracking my body, I remove my helmet and struggle to get up.

But before I can react, my pursuer looms over me. She presses her boot against my chest, pinning me to the ground. It's only then that I realize my assailant is a woman.

Without removing her helmet, she points a gun at me. I try to fight back, but she's more agile than I expected, and despite my efforts, she keeps me pinned down. She cocks her gun and places her finger on the trigger. Just as I think my time has come, she receives a phone call and answers it. Turning away so I can't see her face, she listens silently, then abruptly hangs up. Without a word, she releases her hold on me, mounts her bike, and speeds off.

Stunned and unable to comprehend what just happened, I let my head drop back to the ground and break into tears, the tension finally releasing. I quickly pull myself together, unwilling to give her the power to make me feel so vulnerable. I force myself to stand, scanning the area for my motorcycle. Panic sets in when I don't see it. I get up and approach the edge of the road, fear gnawing at my gut. I try to keep my composure, but when I see my bike at the bottom of a ravine, engulfed in flames, along with my phone, I'm overcome with rage and hurl my helmet into the abyss, desperate for some relief.

Stranded on the side of a winding road, I finish my night in the most dismal of states. My black outfit is now white with gravel. Completely exhausted and battered, I have no choice but to walk the rest of the way home.

After what feels like an eternity of walking, I finally reach my house. I return as the sun begins to rise. As I go to insert the key in the lock, I notice the door has been forced. I slowly step inside, whispering to myself:

"What the hell is going on here ?"

My house is completely ransacked. Everything is turned upside down—my closets, cabinets, and drawers emptied. I can't fathom why or who could have done this. I stay on high alert as I cautiously move through the house, but it quickly becomes clear that no one is here.

I can't help but think that all of this is connected to the person who chased me.

Gathering my courage, I lock all the doors and windows, then begin the long process of tidying up. As I go through the motions, I realize that nothing is missing, which only makes this break-in even more mysterious. After what feels like an eternity, my home finally regains its sense of peace.

I head for a long, hot shower to wash away the day and try to focus on who could be behind all of this. I dig deep into my thoughts, but nothing concrete emerges, only hypotheses.

Raphaël ? Isabella ? A fan ? One of Ezio's fans ? Someone who knows what we did to Angie, Gretta, or Alma ? Or someone completely unrelated ?

As I try to drift off to sleep, I turn the problem over and over in my mind, the possibilities giving me a headache. Sleep eludes me, so I decide to watch TV in the living room, hoping it will distract me enough to help me finally fall asleep.

After hours of watching mind-numbingly dull programs, I eventually drift off with one final thought in my mind: I need to find out who's behind all of this.