"If he knows those things... what are the odds he knows this too?"

Silence settled between them as Lucian and Ashley held each other’s gaze.

His brows knitted together as he tilted his head slightly, confusion flickering across his face. Ashley had mentioned in passing that she knew Silvestre, but he had never pried.

The underground was vast, yet somehow it was also a small world—one filled with bleak roads, danger, and violence. It wasn’t unusual for people to cross paths.

But if what Ashley was implying was true—that Silvestre had pretended to be the boy from her past—then that was an entirely different matter.

"Weird," she muttered, gears turning in her head. "Lucian, have you ever told anyone about us before?"

Lucian didn’t even have to think about it.

"No."

Aside from Lukas—the greatest bully of their childhood—and the other kids who had eventually become part of Dominion, no one knew about the little girl who had once been part of Lucian’s life.

Well, there were other children in their group back then that they never talked to and were not in Dominion.

Ashley frowned, her eyes sharpening with growing displeasure.

She hadn’t thought much about it earlier because she didn’t want to ruin the moment. She had been too touched by Lucian’s efforts.

But now that the topic had resurfaced, she couldn’t ignore the uncomfortable feeling creeping up her spine.

Adding to it was the strange sense that someone had been feeding Lucian’s office information—throwing things at her from all directions just to see where she would slip.

As Ashley sank deeper into thought, a tap on her forehead snapped her back to the present.

"Stop thinking about it," he said.

She looked up at him.

"That’s not important right now." A subtle smile tugged at his lips. "There’s a time for that, and a time for just... us."

He tilted his head slightly.

Ashley pursed her lips before forcing a smile.

"Sorry. I couldn’t help it." She nodded. "But you’re right."

"There’s a time for things like that, and a time for this."

Slowly, she rested her head against his shoulder.

A satisfied smile appeared on Lucian’s face as he glanced down at her before lifting his gaze toward the sky.

Ashley closed her eyes, the smile still lingering on her lips.

Then, only a second later, her eyes opened.

The softness vanished.

Sharpness flashed across her gaze as her smile disappeared almost instantly.

Silvestre. I’ll slit his throat the next time he shows up in front of me.

Ashley lifted her head from Lucian’s shoulder.

The murderous thoughts and cold expression vanished the moment he looked back at her, replaced by a gentle smile.

Deep down, she truly couldn’t help it.

Those memories—and the boy she had shared them with—were among her most precious treasures.

She wouldn’t even touch them herself.

Yet Silvestre had appeared out of nowhere, speaking about those treasures as though they belonged to him.

Most importantly, he hadn’t merely pretended to be the boy from her past.

He had hurt her deeply enough that she had subconsciously buried those memories because she couldn’t bear the fact that she had failed to protect him.

Just like she always did.

If Silvestre had appeared during her first life, she probably would’ve made a different choice.

She was certain of it.

Unfortunately for him, things were different now.

She had promised herself she would protect Lucian in this lifetime.

Because the moment he died...

She died too.

"Lucian."

Ashley lifted both hands and cupped his cheeks.

Her lips curved upward as she pushed the unpleasant thoughts aside to fully cherish this moment with the person who mattered most to her.

Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

It was brief and gentle.

When she pulled back, her smile had widened.

"I know I’ve already said it, but thank you." She nodded. "For going the extra mile for me."

Lucian smiled in return and leaned forward to steal another kiss.

Slowly, he drew back until only a palm’s length remained between them.

"Don’t thank me," he murmured. He moved closer again, resting his forehead against hers.

"Instead, tell me..." His voice softened. "Did tonight help?"

Even if only a little.

Did it help her?

Did it ease even a fraction of the pain and burden she had been carrying?

Ashley’s smile softened.

She nodded and hummed quietly. Then, she drew away, her eyes drifting toward the park glowing warmly around them.

"More than I could ever put into words," she whispered.

When Lucian lifted his head to look at her, she met his gaze.

"Before all of this, I was trying my best to change. To deal with everything properly. Not the way I usually do."

She smacked her lips thoughtfully.

"But honestly? I didn’t know how or where to start. I just knew I needed to get the job done."

It wasn’t that she had been lying about handling her personal crisis on her own.

It was just that tonight made her realize she had still been approaching it the same way she approached everything else.

Sure, she wasn’t lashing out anymore.

But she was still winging it.

Just like she always had.

Yet tonight, Lucian hadn’t simply walked her through the precious memories of her past.

He had taught her two lessons.

The first was that her past hadn’t been entirely miserable.

There had been a time when she burned with fire.

A time when she had stood against the Di Carpios and defied every trauma Marshal had tried to hammer into her.

And the second lesson?

She might have spent her life believing her worth depended entirely on how useful she was.

But not anymore.

Because in Lucian’s eyes—

In Primo’s eyes—

Her existence alone was valuable.

That value wouldn’t disappear if she made mistakes.

If she cried.

If she showed weakness.

Ashley leaned forward until her forehead rested against his once more.

Her hands remained on his cheeks. Her eyes slipped closed.

A smile touched her lips.

"God," she whispered, "has probably not forsaken me completely."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

His hand slipped into his pocket before he carefully took one of hers and gently pulled back.

"Hm?"

Ashley blinked, watching him slide something onto her finger.

Her brows furrowed.

A pink plastic ring sat on her pinky.

"For Boo," he said, referring to the little girl she once was. Then he looked up at her.

"I hope I’m not too late."

Ashley’s eyes softened as she stared at the ring.

It wasn’t expensive.

It wasn’t elegant.

Yet it made her heart flutter all the same.

"No." She shook her head, raising her hand to admire it before meeting his eyes again.

"You’re right on time."