"Alexander, what are you looking at?" Lilian asked softly.
"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head as his gaze dropped.
Alicia tightened her grip on the card, took a deep breath, and walked back toward Sophie.
Alicia's POV
A staff member approached and led us to our table. We sat down and placed our orders, though my mind was far from the present moment.
After a while, the dishes began to arrive, and we started eating. I forced myself to act normal, doing everything I could to keep Sophie from noticing the turmoil raging inside me.
As I absentmindedly dipped a slice of meat into the broth, my thoughts drifted even further. Suddenly, the hot broth splashed onto my hand—but I felt nothing at first.
"Alicia—oh no! How could you be so careless?" Sophie exclaimed, quickly grabbing a napkin and dabbing at my hand.
By then, my skin had already turned red and swollen from the burn.
"Does it hurt? Is it bad? Should we go to the hospital?" she asked anxiously.
