The girl did not remember how much time had passed by the time she walked upstairs to the bathroom. Having cautiously unbuttoned the dress with trembling hands, she took it off and carefully hung it. This is Natalie's dress, she must give it back to her tomorrow.

Candy turned on the tap and started to wash her blubbered face with dark mascara stains under her eyes. She glanced at herself in the mirror – awry hair, red eyes… She never got a chance to see herself beautiful…

All of a sudden, a feeling of desperate desolation devoured her. Candy sat on the edge of the bath and, sobbing, started to pick out the hairpins and hairgrips. She couldn't even tell anyone that she wouldn't be able to go to work the next day, that she felt unwell… So she would have to go there and smile to everyone, carrying out her duties…

If only she had a family! If her parents were here now, in the evening… If her father were here, Neil wouldn't have dared to behave in such a way. And if her mother were here… Mother, who'd always be there for her, on her side, who could give any piece of advice and hug her when she cried…

But she was alone, completely alone! Her girlfriends couldn't help her either… Annie had shut herself from Candy, and Patty was far away. She was alone.

Candy wiped her face dry and went to her room, where she set the alarm-clock and closed her eyes.

Her dreams were so shameful that she woke up terrified in the middle of the night. She dreamt of Neil kissing, touching and caressing her, and this tormenting pleasant feeling in her stomach was only getting stronger. In her dream, she didn't stop him, and their naked and hot bodies entwined…

…The alarm clock cut Candy's ears, and Miss White curled up. She moved her arm and winced – she had hurt it yesterday, and it had taken its toll on her. Having dropped her legs down from the bed, Candy noticed a large bruise on her knee. Great evening, and no mistake!

She had to go to work. Miss White had a cup of coffee, trying to dampen the headache, washed her face for a long time, doing her best to make it look all right, put on a dress with long sleeves and a hem to hide the bruises on the knees and walked towards the Hospital, trying not to limp.

Fortunately, there was so much work that the nurses did not notice any insincerity in Candy's cheerful behavior and her story. She eagerly thanked the girls for their help, and told them with a huge smile about his admiration of her beauty and elegance, winked while speaking about the dance, music, champagne and romantic confessions. The only thing she did not tell them about was the ending.

Delighted sighs and a twinge of envy in the girls' voices meant she succeeded again in playing her role – the role of a happy girl. Then there was work.

Trying not to limp too much, she ran back and forth with a trolley, applied bandages, took temperature and smiled, hiding the pain in her elbow that started to swell.

Roll on the evening…

"Candy, you have a visitor!" Natalie disturbed her thoughts so fast that Candy nearly dropped a jar of pills.

"A visitor?" the girl whispered perplexedly, and suddenly the picture of yesterday evening appeared in front of her eyes. Scoundrel! Now he's come as if nothing happened! "I won't go," Candy jerked up her chin. "Tell him that."

"Him?" Natalie blinked in surprise. "It is an elderly lady."

"An elderly lady?" miss White asked. It must be madam Elroy. What does she want?

Candy walked nervously along the corridor that led to the visitors' room.

It was madam Elroy indeed. She was sitting on a short sofa, wrapped up in her poncho, and looked like a heap of things. Only pristine white upsweep hair indicated that it was an old lady.

Candy stood in front of her and folded her hands, like a little girl, afraid of even sitting down in her presence – Candy had always felt awe for madam Elroy.

"Did you call me, Ma'am?" she asked.

The old lady did not even deign an answer. She was sitting with her eyes barely open, as if even looking at the world was beneath her dignity.

"William Albert left today. What do you know about this?" she gnashed, getting straight to the point, which was the reason of her visit. "I guess he hasn't taken you with him."

The news was a thunderbolt to Candy. She put her hand to her mouth in terror.

"What?! Mister Albert?! Left?! Where?! Why?!"

Madam Elroy frowned and half opened her eyes.

"This is what I want to know, where he left and why. I guess it is not due to my old charms that he abandoned everything and wandered out. But you seem to know nothing, you useless creature… I shouldn't have come here."

Having dropped a sigh, the old lady went past stupefied Candy, hissing to herself:

"Shameless wench… Brought nothing but trouble…"

Candy woke out of stupefaction and bolted. She ran downstairs, but then remembered she hadn't asked a permission to leave Hospital. She came back to the chief doctor's office – she couldn't just leave her patients even in such an emergency.

Feverishly trying to explain the circumstances, with great effort did the girl beg for a couple of unpaid days-off and whipped downstairs.

The knee was aching when she was hitchhiking a carriage, and by the time she arrived at the port it had started to hurt so bad that she hardly got out of the coach.

There were not so many people at the quay – the ship must have already departed, and it was quite calm there. Candy looked around and called with hope:

"Mister Albert! Mister Albert!"