My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 45: Rip Your Heart Out

"Rock-a-bye... baby... on the treetop~"

As Lucian carried Ashley in his arms back into the mansion, she kept singing while lightly tapping his side. Her eyes were closed, but with the gentle rhythm she drummed against his shoulder, it almost seemed like she was trying to lull him to sleep instead.

He ignored it, his expression as cold and distant as ever.

Once he reached her room, Lucian quietly approached the bed and placed her down. Just earlier, he had been told she was with her new secretary, but he had no idea how she got hold of alcohol.

"Rock-a-bye..." Her body bounced gently on the soft mattress as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Ashley opened her weary eyes slightly and looked up at him. Her lips curled into a soft giggle as she scooted closer to the edge. Her arms slithered around his waist, making him glance down at her.

"Lu," she called, looking at him. "Lu."

"..."

Lucian simply stared down at her, catching the gleam in her eyes under the dim light. She kept calling him, smiling up at him, not saying anything else—just repeating his name.

"Sleep," he said, reaching for the blanket and pulling it over her. "Don’t cause trouble now."

She giggled. "Sleep," she mimicked, followed by another soft laugh. "Don’t cause trouble now."

"..."

"..."

Lucian raised a hand and hovered it gently over her eyes. After a few seconds, he pulled it back, but she opened her eyes again.

Her arms tightened around his waist as she moved closer. "Lu."

"Hmm?"

"Lu."

"..."

"Lucian," she said again, chuckling.

Meanwhile, he stayed quiet, letting her exhaust what little energy she had left so she could fall asleep. His gaze dropped to the arms wrapped securely around his waist, clearly not planning to let him go anytime soon.

Ashley eventually closed her eyes, but she still didn’t release him. She hugged him tightly, her cheek pressed against his hip. And just when he thought she had fallen asleep, she started humming again.

"Rock-a-bye baby..." she murmured, her voice growing softer and faint. "Lucian..."

Lucian gulped, her voice echoing in the quiet room. Not long ago, she would never even say his name or look at him. But now, she clung to him like her life depended on it, calling his name in such a sweet voice.

"Sleep," he whispered, his gaze shifting to her face. "I’ll go now."

But that only made her tighten her hold. "No," she whimpered. "Don’t go. Just stay with me."

"..."

"Ashley Di Carpio," he said under his breath, his voice low and firm. "I’m warning you. Let go."

He needed to leave. She was drunk—he knew that much. And he also knew she wouldn’t be pleased to wake up with him beside her. Besides, he didn’t think he could stay in the same room with her overnight.

Ashley didn’t respond immediately. She maintained her hold before forcing her weary eyes open.

Looking up at him, she blinked weakly until her vision steadied.

For a few long minutes, silence filled the room as they held each other’s gaze. Even drunk, Lucian couldn’t read what was going on in her mind.

What was she staring at?

Was she thinking of anything?

What was she going to say next?

Those questions flickered briefly through his thoughts until she finally spoke.

"...why?"

A faint crease formed between his brows. He assumed she was referring to his insistence that she sleep.

"You need rest," he replied.

But she ignored him.

"...just why... do you always look at me that way?" she murmured, almost inaudible. Yet in the silence, her words reached him clearly.

Curiosity shimmered in her tear-glossed eyes. "What did you see in me?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Even in this drunken state—thinking this was all a dream—and even with an entire lifetime behind her, she still couldn’t understand him or his actions.

In her first life, she had done everything—hurt him, humiliated him, trampled over him in every way imaginable.

And yet, he clung to her as if she were the very air he breathed.

No matter how cruel her words were, no matter how deeply she betrayed him, he endured it all.

Thinking about it now... it made her sad — very sad.

Why would someone cling so desperately to someone like her?

And just like before, Lucian’s answer was... silence.

"Don’t go," she whispered, pressing herself closer against him. "If you go... I won’t be nice to you anymore."

His shoulders stiffened, his eyes widening slightly. "You’re drunk."

But she didn’t respond.

If anything, she only held him tighter, though not nearly as tightly as he had clung to her across both lifetimes.

Lucian reached down and gently shook her, but her arms only tightened in response.

He sighed, defeated.

"Alright," he murmured. "I won’t go."

To his surprise, she was still awake. Her lips curved into a small smile as she cracked her eyes open. With renewed energy, she scooted aside to make space for him.

When Lucian lay down beside her, she shifted closer and wrapped both her arm and leg over him.

"Goodnight, Lu," she giggled, earning a quiet glance from him. "Sleep tonight, okay?"

He didn’t answer. He simply watched as she closed her eyes, hugging him like a pillow, a satisfied smile lingering on her lips.

A slow breath left him as he told himself he would leave once she was fully asleep. But as his body gradually relaxed, staring up at the ceiling, his attention drifted to her soft breathing.

Slowly, his gaze returned to her when he felt her grip loosen.

Yet instead of slipping away, he turned onto his side, facing her sleeping face.

His dark eyes traced her features carefully as if memorizing every detail, carving this peaceful version of her into his mind.

"...just why... do you always look at me that way? What did you see in me?"

Her voice echoed in his thoughts.

He lifted his hand and brushed his fingertips gently against her cheek. But beneath that tenderness, something far darker stirred within him—something even he couldn’t suppress.

"You... make me want to rip your heart out..." he whispered, his eyelids growing heavy. His thumb lingered on her pulse, pressing just enough to feel her heartbeat. "...if that’s the only way to have it."