Katrina stood up and offered a polite smile. “Thank you for your help, Dr. Ludwig. I really appreciate it.”

Jamison maintained his usual aloof composure and started to leave without another word.

“Wait, hold on a second!” Katrina suddenly remembered something and called after him, quickly hurrying over.

Ivy glanced over, her expression shifting. “Katrina—”

Katrina ignored the warning, catching up to Jamison with a hesitant look. “Dr. Ludwig, could I trouble you for one more thing?”

Understanding dawned on Ivy, and she cut in sharply. “Katrina!”

But Katrina pressed on, “Ivy’s hurt. Her ear is bleeding. Could you please take a look?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing,” Ivy called from the sofa, rejecting the offer flatly.

“Dr. Ludwig, please, could you check on her? I’m worried she might lose her hearing,” Katrina pleaded, her face etched with concern.

Jamison’s gaze remained cool, but he glanced back into the living room. Whether it was Katrina’s earnestness or simply that he couldn’t bring himself to refuse, something changed in his demeanor. At last, he turned and walked back toward the room.

Ivy’s face was still cold, brows knitting together. “I said I’m fine. There’s no need, really. Katrina, just—”

“Ivy! Your ear is bleeding, okay? What if your eardrum is ruptured and you lose your hearing?” Katrina, usually so gentle, raised her voice for once, her tone firm and insistent.

Ivy fell silent, swallowing back her retort, knowing her friend was genuinely worried. Jamison sat down beside her, lifting her ear between his fingers. With his other hand, he turned on the flashlight app on his phone and shone it into her ear.

Instantly, her delicate ear flushed bright red. Lit by the beam, her ear looked almost translucent – so thin that even the fine veins beneath the skin were visible.

“Ow, you’re hurting me,” Ivy muttered, wincing.

Jamison pressed his lips together, loosening his grip. He examined her closely, noticing the blood inside the ear canal.

“Ms. Lester, there’s a first aid kit in the cabinet under the TV. Could you bring it over?” Jamison instructed quietly.

“Oh, sure!” Katrina spun around to fetch it.

Ivy’s worry spiked. “What are you doing? Are you sure you know how? I thought you were a surgeon, not an ENT specialist.”

Jamison gave a crooked, arrogant smile. “Even a half-rate doctor can handle something this minor.”

He was even poking fun at himself.

Ivy stared at him, speechless.

“Dr. Ludwig, here’s the first aid kit,” Katrina said, hurrying back with the box in her arms.

Jamison opened it, taking out a pair of tweezers and some alcohol wipes. “Ms. Lester, could you hold the phone and shine the light for me?” he asked.

“Of course.”

Katrina stood beside them, holding the phone steady to illuminate Ivy’s ear. Jamison carefully cleaned the wound, working with quiet precision.

“It’s just a mild perforation of the eardrum. Nothing too serious. Rest up for a few days and it should heal on its own. Do you have any antibiotics at home? Take them for a couple of days, just-”

“Ah…” Suddenly, Ivy let out a soft gasp, her body instinctively shivering.

Jamison stopped mid-sentence, watching her intently. “Did I hurt you again?”

He’d been as gentle as possible.

Ivy bit her lip and said nothing, though her body still trembled – she looked pitifully fragile.

Katrina’s worry only grew. “Is it too painful? Maybe we should just go to the hospital…”

Jamison looked exasperated. “If you don’t trust me, why ask me to look in the first place?”

Katrina hurried to explain, her face apologetic. “Dr. Ludwig, we do trust you. I’m sorry…”

Once Jamison paused his movements, Ivy gradually calmed down.

The truth was, it wasn’t pain that made her react like that…

It was the strange, involuntary sensation that shot through her when the cotton swab touched deep inside her ear – she couldn’t help the shiver, it was a reflex. But the sound she made, that soft gasp, was embarrassingly suggestive – far too much like the kind of sound a woman might make in… certain other situations.