She studied him closely. The thick layers of gauze wrapping his neck were definitely going to restrict his movement.

She let out a long sigh. “You need to rest for a few days. Take some time off from the set and don’t go back until you’re properly healed.”

Keith grinned. “I don’t need a break. It just depends on the shot. If they’re shooting from the front, I can work perfectly fine. Plus, aren’t we filming the winter scenes soon? I’ll just throw on a scarf and hide the bandages.”

He was incredibly dedicated to his craft and completely unwilling to let a burn derail the production schedule.

Knowing how stubborn he was, Amara didn’t bother arguing. She just stared at his bandaged neck, a heavy, dull ache settling in her chest.

Finnian had been watching her intently. He was already in a foul mood, but seeing her look so utterly devastated over another man was the final straw. He stepped forward, grabbing her wrist gently but firmly. “Let’s go. He needs his rest.”

The sudden touch finally reminded Amara that Finnian was still standing right behind her.

She shot an uncomfortable glance at Keith before pulling her wrist free. “Mr. Everly, you can head back. I’m going to stay a little longer.”

The moment she voiced her desire to be alone with Keith, Finnian shut it down.

He easily pulled her to her feet, his tone leaving zero room for debate. “He needs to sleep. We’re leaving.”

Amara scowled at him.

Ever since Keith woke up, they hadn’t had a single second of privacy. First his parents were here, and now Finnian was acting like a hovering bodyguard. She just wanted five minutes to actually talk to him.

She squared her shoulders and met Finnian’s intense stare. “Mr. Everly, I have some things I need to discuss with him. You can leave first.”

Her absolute refusal threw him. He wanted to drag her out of the room, but he forced himself to look at the situation objectively. Keith had just saved her life. It was only natural that she’d want to stick around and check on him. If he dragged her away now, she would just spend the rest of the night obsessing over the actor.

It was far smarter to just let her get it out of her system now, otherwise she’d likely sneak behind his back to visit him later anyway.

He relented, his jaw tight. “Fine. Say what you need to say, but don’t stay too long. I’ll be going.”

With that, Finnian turned and walked out, leaving the room in total silence. Finally, there were no more interruptions.

Amara immediately grabbed Keith’s hand, her chest tightening with sorrow.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could make a sound, the tears finally spilled over.

The second she touched his hand, Keith had a sarcastic remark loaded and ready to go. But seeing her Burst into tears sent him into full panic mode. He scrambled up, desperately trying to wipe away the moisture.

“Hey, why are you crying? Come on, it’s not even a big deal! It’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine in a week…”

He clumsily smeared the tears across her cheeks, babbling reassurances, until Amara finally swatted his hand away.

“Could you maybe use a tissue?” she sniffled. “Your hands are filthy.”

“

II

“Wow,” Keith scoffed in fake offense. “I’m literally drying your tears and you’re judging my hygiene? You are merciless. Fine, wipe your own face.”

He pulled his hand back, though he didn’t actually abandon the task. He just grabbed a fistful of tissues and ght back to dabbing ather

eyes.

Amara snatched the tissues from his grasp, scrubbed roughly at her face, and

tossed them into the nearby trash can.

“You’re an actor, Keith. You’re

covered in severe burns. Even if it

doesn’t mess with the current shoot,

how are you going to film variety shows? And the pain… it completely burned off a layer of your skin…”