Chapter 6

At three in the morning, Anna saved her final design draft and rubbed her sore eyes.

The illustration on her computer screen was about seventy percent complete—a fairytale town made entirely of desserts, with chocolate rivers winding through macaron hills beneath fluffy marshmallow clouds, and the aroma of coffee drifting from houses with cookie rooftops.

She carefully backed up the file to a USB drive and cleared her browsing history. Outside, a waning moon hung in the treetops, casting a cold light over the empty double bed. Lionel hadn't come back to the bedroom last night; he must have spent the night in his study.

Her phone buzzed—it was a text from Zayn. [Just closed the café. Random thought—what if you added some icing to the cookie rooftops? Might make it pop even more. Just tossing it out there.]

Anna couldn't help but smile. Three days into the project, and Zayn always trusted her with full creative freedom. Yet somehow, he still dropped the best ideas just when she needed them.

She typed back: [Love that! I'll give it a shot tomorrow. By the way, the draft's about 70% done. Let me know whenever you've got a minute to check it out.]

Only after hitting send did she realize how late it was. Right as she debated unsending, Zayn replied: [Send it over now? I've got fresh ideas brewing.]

Anna wavered, but sent the file. Less than five minutes later, Zayn called—he couldn't hide his excitement. "Annie, you're a genius! This chocolate waterfall idea? Absolutely amazing—man, it totally nails that flowing coffee vibe."

"Really?" Anna curled up on the single sofa by the window, dropping her voice low. "I was worried it might be a little too childish."

"No way—this is exactly what restaurants are missing these days." Zayn paused, then added, "Oh, by the way, I've got a friend over at Rainbow Children's Publishing House. She saw your sketches and wants to hire you to do a whole series of illustrations. Would you be up for it?"

Anna's heart sped up, her fingers nervously twisting at the hem of her nightgown. "I... I'm not sure yet."

There was a beat of silence from Zayn's end. "Lionel wouldn't let you, huh?"

Anna didn't respond, but her silence was answer enough.

"Listen," Zayn said, his tone going grave. "Your artistic gift is something no one should ever try to lock away. The folks from Rainbow Children's Publishing House will be waiting for you at Zayn's Café on Sunday at two. Whether you show up or not—that's your choice."

After the call, Anna didn't sleep a wink. As morning broke, she made up her mind. She was going to meet them, no matter what happened afterwards.

*****

At 1:30 on Sunday afternoon, Anna stood in front of her closet, fretting over what to wear. Too formal would make her look like she was going to a business negotiation; too laid-back, and she'd come off as unprofessional.

After weighing her options, she finally picked a simple navy dress and slipped on a beige cardigan—polished enough to look put-together, but still warm and inviting.

"Heading out, Mrs. Hoffman?" Cora called out at the stairwell, eyeing Anna with suspicion.

"Just meeting a friend for coffee," Anna replied, doing her best to keep her tone breezy. "If Lionel asks, just let him know I won't be long."

Cora opened her mouth, hesitated, then silently stepped aside. Anna knew Cora was the one Lionel relied on to keep tabs on everything in the house—but today, she couldn't let herself be held back by that.

Zayn's Café was especially lively today. As Anna walked in, she spotted Zayn hustling behind the counter, with a young woman beside him—her hair in dreadlocks and a loose denim jacket draped over her shoulders.

"Annie!" Zayn called out, waving her over. "This is Mandy Carlson, the art director at Rainbow Children's Publishing House."

Mandy looked Anna up and down, then flashed a playful grin. "Zayn said you looked like a startled deer, and I see what he meant. Relax, we're not going to eat you alive."

Anna gave an awkward smile and followed them over to a cozy corner.

Mandy dove right in. "We're working on a children's healthy-eating book series, and your art has this cozy, whimsical vibe we absolutely adore. We planned to have six books, fifteen pictures each. The deadline's three months, and your payment would be…"

She jotted down a number on a scrap of paper, and Anna's eyes nearly popped—it was basically what Lionel handed her for half a year's allowance.

"I… I've never done anything this big before," Anna said honestly, her nerves showing. "And, well, my husband…"

"What about your husband?" Mandy quirked an eyebrow. "He lock you up or something?"

"Mandy!" Zayn shot her a look, then turned to Anna. "Ignore her—she's always like this. But honestly, this is a killer opportunity. Trust me, you totally got this."

Anna stared at the number for ages, breaking her focus only to look up. "Will there be a contract, or…?"

Mandy flashed a wide grin. "Smart girl! Of course—totally standard." She pulled a folder out of her bag. "Here's a draft—none of it's set in stone, so we can adjust any details you want."

By the time they finally wrapped up nearly two hours later, Anna stepped out of the café with a draft contract and the project details tucked in her bag. Sunlight warmed her face, and it felt like she could finally breathe again.

But that happiness didn't last long. When Anna got home, she saw Lionel's car already parked in the driveway. The driver shot her a look full of sympathy.

In the living room, Lionel stood with his back to her, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows, something in his hand. As Anna walked closer, her blood ran cold. He was holding her USB drive, the one with all her design drafts and the draft contract.

"Explain yourself," Lionel said, his voice eerily calm as he tossed the USB drive onto the coffee table. "What is this?"

Anna's throat went dry. "I-it's my work."

"Work?" Lionel sneered. "You need a job now? Is my allowance not good enough for you, or are you just trying to make me look bad?"

"I just want to achieve something on my own," Anna whispered.

"On your own?" Lionel cut her off, snatching a stack of papers from the printer—her design drafts for Zayn's Café. "These childish scribbles? Do you even realize what people would say? That I can't even provide for his wife, so she's forced to sell her art just to get by?"

Anna's cheeks flushed hot. "It's not like that! Zayn said these drawings actually have real value..."

"Zayn?" Lionel's gaze turned icy in a heartbeat. "How many times have you two met? What else does he 'admire' about you, exactly?"

It hit Anna then that she'd just set off a major landmine. "It's purely professional. He—"

"From now on, you're not to see him again," Lionel said, deliberately enunciating every word. "No more of this so-called work, either. If I ever catch you disobeying again, don't even think about your classes anymore."

Anna clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug deep into her palms. "You can't just control my life like this. I'm not your prisoner."

"Control?" Lionel gave a sudden, icy laugh—a sound that made her skin crawl. "I'm protecting you. People only gravitate to you because of your status as Mrs. Hoffman. The moment you lose that title, let's see who even remembers you exist."

He grabbed his coat and stalked toward the door. "Something came up at work. I won't be home tonight. You'd better think hard about what I said."

The slam of the door landed like a slap. Anna stood frozen for ages before slowly crouching down and gathering her scattered sketches. A single tear splashed onto the chocolate waterfall, bleeding the colors and blurring the ink.