What's the real problem

The next day...

Maelie had just woken up after crying herself to sleep the night before. She glanced around the quiet room and saw Erland standing in front of the dresser, getting dressed. She quickly got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

When she returned to the bedroom, she saw her husband sitting on the sofa, putting on his shoes. She felt a desire to approach him but felt awkward after their fight last night.

Her attention shifted to his injured hand, which was unbandaged and looked terrible. She walked to the small cot, opened the drawer, took out the first aid kit, and approached him.

She sat beside him, took his right hand, and placed it on her lap, examining the wound.

"A wound like this needs to be treated and covered with a bandage," she said.

"You always know how to heal wounds, but this time, I'm not so sure," Erland replied flatly.

Maelie swallowed hard, sensing the deeper meaning behind Erland's words, perhaps referring to the caus