"Don't think too highly of yourself," Daniel dismissed coldly, as if her words hadn't just pricked something beneath his skin.
Anna only shrugged, her composure untouched. Pulling out a chair, she sat down with casual grace. "No, I'm not. But if you keep doing these… thoughtful things, I might start to doubt."
Her voice was light, teasing almost, but her eyes flickered when she noticed him staring at her.
Daniel hadn't realized it either—how intently his gaze had fixed on her, how it lingered long after it should have drifted away. Why did her words bother him? Why did her doubt matter?
It was just lunch. Just food. Nothing more.
"Are you going to stand there gawking at me?" Anna's dry voice snapped him out of it.
His jaw flexed as he pulled out a chair and sat across from her, his movements taut, almost too quick.
The lunch began in silence. Every dish laid out was of Anna's preference, from the light seasoning to the fresh pineapple slices at the side.
Her fork hovered, suspicion rising. How come everything is to my liking?
Slowly, her gaze slid back to Daniel, squinting. Don't tell me he's keeping tabs on me now…
The thought unsettled her. Daniel Clafford, the man who couldn't spare her a glance, suddenly knowing her tastes? Impossible. Too far-fetched.
She dismissed it with a small shake of her head and began to eat.
But her peace didn't last.
"You still haven't answered my question."
The deep timbre of his voice rolled across the table, steady but unyielding. "Where did you go?"
Anna froze for the briefest moment, then deliberately set her fork down.
Her head tilted slightly, a calm yet dangerous smile tugging at her lips as she met his gaze head-on.
"What if I tell you I went to meet my parents," Anna said, her tone deceptively light, "to tell them about my decision to divorce you?"
Daniel stilled, his eyes darkening at her boldness. For a fleeting moment, he almost believed her. But then—she chuckled.
The sound struck like a spark against dry tinder. Her audacity to toy with him, to throw the word divorce so casually, made his nerves tighten. Yet he forced himself calm, his voice smooth but edged with steel.
"And I doubt they agreed with you."
The shift in Anna's expression was instant—grim, weighted. His words mirrored her parents' exactly, and for once, her silence betrayed her.
Daniel's lips curled upward, satisfaction flickering at the corner of his mouth. He leaned back, watching her resume eating as though nothing had happened, her indifference like a dagger.
It was strange—how teasing her, provoking her, brought him a perverse kind of relief. As if he wanted her to glare at him, hate him, the way she had on their wedding night.
But then his voice dropped, deliberate. "By the way, you still haven't apologized for last night."
Anna froze mid-bite, her fork hovering in the air. Heat prickled her skin. So he hadn't forgotten. Not the sneaking. Not the bed. Not the… chaos.
Feigning innocence, she tilted her head. "Why? Do you still feel the pain down there?"
His lips twitched—half in irritation, half in disbelief.
Anna wouldn't have kicked him, truly, but his audacity to lean in, to try and kiss her, had set off every instinct she had left.
"Ahem-hm. No. I don't. I'm not that weak," he denied, his tone clipped.
But Anna's soft chuckle cut through the air, triumphant. "Yes, well, your cries from the other night said otherwise."
Daniel's brows drew together, his jaw taut. He wanted to retort, but just then his phone buzzed.
"Yes, Henry. I'll be right there." His voice was curt as he ended the call.
Sliding the phone back into his pocket, his gaze swept over Anna one last time. She was calmly chewing, utterly unfazed, while his own appetite had soured.
"I have to leave," he said, rising from his chair.
Anna didn't respond. Not a glance. Not a word. Just the scrape of her fork against the plate.
It burned.
Daniel wiped his lips sharply with a napkin, his irritation coiling tighter, and stalked away.
Anna, meanwhile, continued her meal, undisturbed. If anything, the food seemed even more satisfying now.
Once she finished, she dabbed her mouth clean and returned to her room. But before she could step inside, Mariam's gentle voice stopped her.
"I'm sorry, Madam. The master came home unexpectedly."
Anna looked at the old woman, softening into a smile. "I know, Mariam. I trust you."
She did. Mariam would never break her word.
It was Daniel who was unpredictable.
In her past life, he had rarely returned home for meals—hardly returned home at all. And yet now, he was appearing at odd hours, intruding into spaces he'd once ignored.
That alone was enough to leave her unsettled.
"Mariam, can you do me a favor?" Anna asked, pausing at the doorway.
The older woman, always attentive, nodded at once.
"Next time, remember to call me whenever Daniel comes home."
Mariam blinked, confusion flickering across her face, but she nodded anyway, watching as Anna disappeared inside.
Anna walked further in, then slumped onto the bed with an exaggerated sigh. Pulling out her phone, she stared at her bank balance.
Her eyes widened. Her lips trembled.
"Ugh… Anna, how are you even going to survive?" she groaned, wriggling dramatically across the mattress like a fish gasping on dry land.
She hadn't realized just how recklessly she'd emptied her account until now. Almost everything had gone to Shawn, and she was left clutching a handful of cents like a beggar in her own marriage.
Misery lasted all of two seconds before she stopped herself and sat up with a snap.
"No! Pull yourself together. You got the role. Even if it's a dead body, they'll still pay you for lying still." She pumped her fist weakly, trying to cheer herself up.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
Besides… tomorrow was her first shoot.
Just the thought of it sent nervous bubbles rising in her stomach. Her palms felt clammy, and her heart raced.
It was her dream—something she had once buried under her family's constant criticism and Daniel's indifference. She had died once with that dream unfulfilled. Now, fate had handed her a second chance.
And she wasn't going to waste it.
Another thought brought her a measure of relief: no one knew. Neither her parents nor Daniel had the slightest idea that she was about to step into the acting world. Her marriage was private, her name still hidden from the industry radar. That secrecy alone gave her a rare freedom.
Still, unease crept in.
'But… what if Dad finds out?'
The possibility made her stomach twist. Hugo Bennett would never tolerate his daughter chasing frivolous dreams. For him, dignity and family image mattered more than her happiness.
Anna bit her lip but shook the thought away. "No. I won't let fear stop me again. When the time comes, I'll confront them myself—and I'll bring Kathrine back with me."
Her eyes sharpened with resolve, even as her phone screen dimmed in her hand.
For the first time in a long while, Anna Bennett felt the stirrings of control over her own life and she was never going to losen it.