Still, I did everything with care, love, and satisfaction. Every slice, every stir felt like pouring a piece of myself in. I don’t know if anyone noticed—but I felt every motion, every scent, every sound that place emitted.

“You have hands that cook with heart,” the head chef commented without pausing his pan flip.

I didn’t reply. Lowered my eyes, as always—but inside, my heart warmed. Amid the chaos, the race against time, endless tasks, I felt I belonged somewhere—for the first ...