CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72

Chapter 72

Astrid’s POV

She was a real artist, a famous one. Someone who I never even thought I’d ever meet in my life and she was asking for my sketchbook. My simple pencil sketches felt lame and clumsy in comparison to the works she had done. I had no idea Christian was even her son. Maybe I wouldn’t have shown him my drawings if I had known...oh who am I lying to? I would have still shown him the drawings because he is cute.

She took the sketchbook from me, gently. Her eyes scan the pages with a focused intensity. She flipped through the drawings of the willow tree, the sketches of the children and finally the last one. Since this was a new sketchbook, there were only three drawings in it. She paused on the drawing of Christian and the twins, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"You have a good eye, Astrid," she said, her voice sincere. "A really good eye. You don’t just draw what you see; you capture the feeling of a moment. Look at this." She pointed to the sketch of Christian. "You caught his curiosity, the way he tilts his head just before he asks a question. And the twins... you captured their bond, the way they mirror each other even when they’re not trying to. That’s not something you can teach. That’s talent."

Her praise was so genuine, so unexpected, that it left me speechless. A warm flush spread up my neck. Leon had always dismissed my art as a silly hobby, a childish waste of time. No one had ever looked at my drawings and seen... me.

"Thank you," I managed to say, my voice a little shaky. "That... that means a lot, coming from you."

"It’s just the truth," she said. "I have a question though, the last sketch, what were you trying to capture?"

I shrugged. "I don’t know. I was just going with my feelings." I told her.

She stared at me with wide eyes. "You were just drawing what you felt?" She asked me.

"Yeah...is anything wrong with that?" I asked her.

"No." She said to me, "But it looks beautiful. It looks like something that would take the world by storm."

She paused.

"Are you interested in showcasing your work?" She asked me.

I paused. I haven’t thought about that. Drawing had always seemed like a silly hobby to me. It was something I did to escape and I’ve never thought about making it so people could see it. It was always for me.

"Um..." I began.

"I understand wanting to keep it private but just so you know, if you are interested, just hit me up." She told me.

"Sure."

"I’ll get you a canvas or better yet, tell that husband of yours to get you a canvas. That sketchbook is too small for that work you are about to create." She said to me,

I blushed when she referred to Kaeleen as my husband and if she noticed, she didn’t say a word. She gave me my sketchbook back and I took it looking at the last drawing, perhaps this sketchbook would be too little. I had been so absorbed in drawing that I didn’t notice that the page was covered and I wasn’t even done with a quarter of what I wanted to create. Or I think so because it still looked empty to me.

Just then, Maria and the other nannies approached, having gathered the children and their belongings.

"Yvonne, it’s good to see you," Maria said. "We were just about to head back."

"I came to pick up my little troublemaker," Yvonne said, ruffling Christian’s hair. "Thank you for watching him." She then turned to me, her expression turning more serious. "And thank you, Astrid. Maria told me what happened with the fence. Thank you for finding them, and for handling it and keeping them company. I have been so swamped with work that I don’t have as much time to play with Christian anymore."

"It’s no issue." I said to her, "I enjoyed playing with him also and he was good company."

"What about me?" Maya asked me.

"Yes," Leo agreed. "What about us?"

I crouched down to their level taking both hands in mine. "You all were fun to be with. Let’s play again some other time okay?" I asked them.

"You’ll play doll house with me?" Maya asked me.

"Doll house?" I asked her.

"Yes. Mummy and daddy always play with me but mummy had to do something today." She told me.

"Sure." I said without hesitation.

She jumped in joy. "You are the best lulu. Mummy said she didn’t know if you would be good for the pack but I’ll tell her you are."

Just then Leo groaned. "We are not supposed to tell her that."

"Oops." Maya said as she put her hands on her lips. "Don’t tell mummy I told you." She said to me,

I laughed at their antics. "Sure."

"Alright, time to go." Maria says to the twins who rush to Christian and wave him goodbye.

"Don’t take their word to heart." Yvonne spoke up.

"Oh...I’m not. It is nice to know that at least some people are sceptical about me. I mean not nice nice but..." she laughed.

"I get it. Being in a strange place where everyone just accepts you without complaint can be strange." She said to me,

"Exactly."

"Once again, thanks for finding the kids."

"I just did what anyone would have done," I said, feeling my cheeks grow warm again.

"No," Yvonne said firmly, her gaze unwavering. "Not everyone would have. You have a good heart, Astrid. This pack is lucky to have you and don’t take what anyone says to heart okay? Especially not your ex."

As she and Christian waved goodbye and walked away, hand in hand, I stood by the lake, my sketchbook clutched to my chest. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon, but the world didn’t feel dark. It felt bright, filled with a quiet, hopeful light.

Now, the only thing left was to find Kaeleen and set the record straight regarding what happened last night.