However, he also recognized that having a massive family blowout in front of outsiders was incredibly poor form. Keith was right to ask them to step out.

Suppressing his own fury, he took Edith by the arm and muttered under his breath, “Let’s go. We’ll deal with him later. Now isn’t the time.”

With that, he practically dragged his fuming wife out of the room.

Once they were gone, the attending doctor-who had been trying very hard to blend into the wallpaper-quickly made his exit as well, tactfully pulling the door shut behind him.

The room instantly fell silent, leaving only the three of them behind.

The moment they were alone, Amara rushed forward, leaning over the bed to get a closer look at his bandages.

“How bad is it really? Are you in a lot of pain? Why… why did you jump in front of me like that?”

Her voice was choked with intense self-blame and raw guilt.

While his parents were in the room, she hadn’t dared to show too much emotion, forcing herself to keep her questions brief and polite.

Now that the coast was clear, she let her guard down, her panic and deep concern finally spilling over.

Keith was absolutely thrilled by her frantic worry, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt.

Predictably, Finnian’s expression morphed into a storm cloud, his aura radiating pure, unadulterated hostility.

Completely ignoring the icy glare boring into his skull, Keith focused entirely on Amara. “I’m seriously fine. It looks worse than it is. It’s going to scar, yeah, but it’s on the back of my neck, not my face. It won’t mess with my shooting schedule. Give it two or three months, and I can just laser it off. Stop stressing.”

He loved the attention, but he genuinely didn’t want to see her tear herself apart over him, so he quickly downplayed the severity.

Amara nodded slowly, struggling to find the right words.

She wanted to shower him with gratitude, but given how incredibly close they were, making some grand, formal speech would just feel weird and forced.

Since words weren’t enough, what else could she possibly do to make this up to him?

Her mind raced, desperately searching for a way to repay him.

Seeing her sitting by his bed, staring

intensely at the blankets in total

silence Keith found it highly

fa

amusing.

He

He reached out and flicked

her lightly on the forehead. “What

are you plotting in there?”

Amara winced and clapped a hand over her forehead. “What was that for? Why are you hitting me?”

“I didn’t hit you,” he chuckled. “I just tapped you. Since when is that hitting?”

“It still hurt!” she shot back instinctively. “That’s basically assault, you know.”

She was just bickering for the sake of bickering. It was how they operated.

Because they were so used to constantly teasing each other, she slipped effortlessly into an exaggerated pout.

Watching their playful banter, Finnian’s hands curled into tight fists, his heart soaking in a vat of acid.

Was this really how the two of them interacted when they were alone?

Amara was always so guarded

around him polite, poised, and

utterly detached. Yet, with Keith, she

was vibrant, mischievous and

completely uninhibited. They

bantered effortlessly, teasing and

laughing like two teenagers.

Their dynamic was so incredibly

intimate and natural that it felt as though an invisible wall separated them from the rest of the world

Standing on the outside, Finnian felt an agonizing sting of rejection.

Entirely oblivious to the storm brewing behind her, Amara remained completely

focused on her injured friend.