Her cheeks were burning, and she felt like the more she tried to exin, the


    worse it got. Sometimes it was best to just let things be.


    Finnian watched her, noticing the slight redness in her eyes.


    Amara usually wore a mask, so people couldn''t easily tell when she was blushing. But she had a tell-when she blushed, her eyes turned red and she''d nervously nce down, looking adorably shy.


    So, what did her face look like now? Probably as red as a ripe strawberry.


    For some reason, Finnian felt a strange flutter in his chest.


    He stepped closer, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Why do you have the feeling? I''m not even tired yet."


    Amara felt her face grow even warmer. The conversation was veering into territory she wasn''tfortable with. She quickly turned away, saying, "It''s not because of that..."


    These kinds of exnations only made things messier, Amara decided it was best not to continue. She thought about finding an excuse to leave and take a breather.


    Just then, a nurse walked in softly saying, "Mr. Finnian Everly, Ms. Sullivan, Mr. Kevin Everly is awake."


    ...


    The subtle ambiguity in the air slowly dissolved.


    Amara and Finnian exchanged a nce and returned to the hospital room together.


    ...


    Inside, the Everly family members were gathered around, asking about Kevin''s condition.


    Lying in the hospital bed, Kevin looked a bit pale and his voice was weak, but he seemed much better than before.


    He was speaking with some effort, and when Amara and Finnian entered, he reached out a hand toward them.


    The gesture was instinctive, and Amara hesitated, unsure if she should approach.


    Since she had lied to Kevin a few days earlier about being in a rtionship with Keith, she felt awkward facing the man who had always been so kind to her.


    Noticing her hesitation, Kevin called out again, "Ama,e here."


    Amara immediately stepped forward, ignoring the surprised or hostile nces from the Everlys, and took Kevin''s hand. “Grandpa, how are you feeling?"


    "Not too bad, I''m starting to feel better."


    Kevin held Amara''s hand with one of his, while he took Finnian''s with the other. He looked up at the other family members. "Can you all step out for a moment? I need to speak with Ama."


    He released Finnian''s hand. "You too, leave us."


    Being the head of the family, Kevin''s words carried weight, and no one dared to defy him. Everyone gradually left the room, and Finnian, thest to leave, gave Amara a nce before closing the door.


    swnover


    The room fell quiet, and Amara shifted ufortably, asking in a low voice, "What


    did you want to talk about?"


    Kevin gazed at her for a moment, and then sighed.


    "Ama, how have you been these days?" he asked.


    "I''ve been well." Amara replied, nodding. “And you..."


    She was about to ask how he was, but then remembered he was in the hospital, obviously not well, so she swallowed her words.


    Being an experienced old man, Kevin understood what she meant, and gently patted her hand. "You don''t need to feel guilty. My illness isn''t because of you."


    "But it isn''t entirely unrted either," Kevin continued. "To be honest, it''s


    the stress from everything


    "Grandpa, I''m really sorry."


    "There''s no need to exin," Kevin interrupted, raising a hand to stop her.


    "I know that the main issue isn''t you, but Finn. If he had treated you well these past three years, your old feelings for your childhood friend wouldn''t have rekindled."