Is there a bug in OS Ventura 13.7.7

Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?

Please download and run Etrecheck.  The free version is sufficient.

Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

Copy the report

and after clicking on the Reply button use the Additional Text button to paste the report in your reply.

Check Etrecheck's Privacy settings and make sure the checkbox for full disk access before running:

Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine the cause of the problem.

You didn't post the report as requested. Read my previous post again and rerun and post the report.

You can verify that you've removed all of the supporting files for ProtonVPN by downloading and running the shareware app Find Any File to search for any files with the application's or the developer's name in the file name.  For XXXX software you'd do the following search(es): 

1 - Name contains poton

2 - Names contains vpn

Any files that are found can be dragged from the search results window to the Desktop or Trash bin in the Dock for deletion.

FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.  

If you get warnings that the file can't be deleted because it is in use or used by another app boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and delete from there.

Note:  if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode.  This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will assure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

It’s possible that you might have uncovered something the Affinity developers failed to catch during their testing for the most recent iOS update.

(Affinity is in all liklihood much more focused on MacOS 15 & 26)

If it possibly is caused by an MacOS malfunction, those same Affinity developers would be best-positioned to communicate it to Apple.

I'm surprised that you are able to delete the left over parts of ProtonVPN:

[Running] ProtonVPN WireGuard - version 5.1.0 (ProtonVPN AG - installed 2025-07-28)

Application: Not found!

Safe Mode prevents most software from running so it can be deleted. Are you sure you were in Safe Mode? You should have see this in the upper right hand corner of the screen:

If you didn't see that them try the following:

NOTE: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

Yes. The Safe Mode text disappears when you log in and get your own background.