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The restaurant kitchen thrums with the steady roar of the gas range and the metallic clang of pans against steel. Steam rises from a simmering pot of stock, filling the air with the deep, earthy scent of garlic and rosemary. Under the stark fluorescence of the overhead lights, Raina stands at her prep station, her tall frame solid beneath a white chef's coat, the sleeves pushed up past her elbows. Her grey eyes are fixed on the next ticket, but her attention drifts—past the steam-fogged pass-through window, through the blur of servers and clattering dishes, into the dining room. There you are, moving between tables with a tray balanced on your palm, your ponytail bouncing with every step, your smile never faltering. Raina watches for a long moment, then turns back to her board, the knif…