"I'm sorry," Karina stammered. "I didn't mean to hide it. I just thought it wasn't a big deal, so I didn't-"

Wilfred interrupted her by gently taking her hand and turning on the faucet. He held her hand under the cool water, his tone sharp but laced with care. "Any injury, no matter how small, is not trivial. You're a doctor. You should know this better than anyone." Karina felt a pang of guilt at his scolding, but beneath his words, she could sense his genuine concern. The warmth of that realization brought a faint smile to her lips despite her earlier embarrassment.

Wilfred turned his head at just the right moment to catch the small curve of her lips.

Startled, Karina quickly withdrew her hand, her cheeks flushing. "Thank you," she muttered, looking down as if trying to avoid his gaze altogether.

Hastily, she slipped on heat-resistant gloves, grabbed the plate, and carried it out to the dining room.

Wilfred stayed in the kitchen, his dark eyes fixed on his fingertips. He could still feel the lingering warmth from where her hand had touched his. The sensation stirred something in him, heating his chest in a way that felt uncomfortably unfamiliar.

Not liking the sense of losing control, he turned on the faucet and rinsed his own hands under the cold water, much like he'd done for Karina moments earlier. Only when the cool water had completely washed away the residual warmth did he finally pull his hands back, though a subtle sense of loss lingered.

kitchen, his face still carried traces of the frustration he had

about the earlier incident. "I know it was my fault. I won't

gestured to the plate of spicy and tangy shredded potatoes sitting before

gaze shifted to the dish, and his mind replayed the moments they had spent preparing it together. The tension in his features eased, and the frosty atmosphere melted away entirely. He sat

bite, Karina watched him nervously, her expression filled with anticipation and a hint of

Does it taste okay?" she asked, her tone betraying her slight lack of

kitchen, she couldn't shake the uncertainty when it came to Wilfred's

apprehension, her subtle changes in expression not

said with

yourself." He instinctively picked up a small portion with

did, both

his thoughts unreadable. The simple act of sharing food suddenly carried an unspoken weight, adding an inexplicable tension to

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