Episode 10

The following morning, Catalina and her sister woke up, had breakfast, then they cleaned up the kitchen and got ready. Catalina had to go to the restaurant to resign, so they collected their belongings and left the apartment to carry out what had to be done...

Catalina and Sophia caught a taxi to the restaurant. Catalina was still contemplating whether it was the right choice. Upon arrival, still uncertain, she went inside. There she was; her situation wasn't great, so what did it matter? Things couldn't get much worse. She took a deep breath and headed straight to the owner's office.

Catalina: Good afternoon, sir.

Boss: Good afternoon, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?

Catalina: Sir, I've come to talk to you. I can't just discard my job without any gratitude, so I wanted to come in person to thank you and to submit my resignation letter.

Boss: What do you mean you're leaving? We haven't really gotten to know each other yet.

Catalina: Yes, I need to continue my education, and with the job, I'm not able to perform well anywhere, so thank you very much, and that's all.

Catalina started towards the exit, but the man caught up to her at the door and blocked her way, a man in his fifties, who shut the door with his arms, trapping her between him and the door.

Catalina: What's wrong with you? Why are you doing this?

Boss: Exactly, you can't be this ungrateful.

Catalina: Let me out, you're scaring me.

Boss: I want you to thank me in a different way.

The man planted a kiss on her cheek and Catalina froze, not knowing how to react, feeling nothing but disgust. The man moved his hand to his belt, attempting to unbuckle it, and with his other hand, he pushed Catalina against himself, making her feel what he intended. Without thinking, she delivered a knee strike to his groin, causing the man to lose his breath and collapse to the floor. Catalina ran out, grabbed her sister, who was waiting at a table, and hurriedly left. Catalina exited in tears, not disclosing to her sister what had happened, pretending it was just nostalgia from leaving her job. Quickly, they jumped into a taxi and went straight back to the apartment. Catalina was terrified and proceeded to lock all the doors and windows. As evening fell, she continued to be very nervous. Catalina prepared dinner and, though she didn't eat (she had no appetite with everything that was going on), she merely picked at the food before going to bed. Unable to sleep with anxiety, the incident with the man confirmed that resigning had been the best decision. She also reflected on the help Bruno's parents had offered, and considered her options. This occupied her mind all weekend; she couldn't shake off her troubles until Monday arrived. After university, Catalina went to the hospital, instructing her sister to stay locked in at home and to call her for anything she needed. Catalina discussed the situation with a friend at university, who offered her solid advice and suggested suing the restaurant owner for attempting to assault her. Catalina hesitated, knowing the man had powerful connections, as important people frequented the restaurant, and he was always greeted with respect; it seemed clear she wouldn't stand a chance against him.