The next morning, Cixi woke early.
She sat at the small desk with a notepad in front of her and began writing something down. She wrote a line, frowned at it, scratched it out, and started again.
Then once more. And again. She kept rewriting until at last she was satisfied.
Only then did she set the pen down and read the words on the page carefully, her eyes moving over every line as though checking for any hidden flaws.
After a moment, she tore the sheet neatly from the pad, folded it, and slipped it into her large purse.
Then she got ready for work.
Before leaving, she made sure to take Lily's bag with her, and after that she headed to Warm Land Cafe.
The day passed as usual. She made no mistakes, which meant Amanda's sharp eyes never once settled on her for long. That alone should have made the shift easier, yet her nerves refused to quiet.
The folded note inside her purse seemed to get her attention all day, as if it were not paper at all but a ticking time bomb.
