Ashley cupped her cheek, her elbow resting on the edge of the bed as she sat on the floor beside it. She stared at Primo, whom she had just tucked in.

Primo blinked and stared back at her.

"Primo," she called with a smile. "Did I really worry you that much yesterday?"

He pursed his lips, hesitating. But seeing her expression, he felt safe enough to tell the truth.

[Just a bit.]

She chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair. As she withdrew her hand, her smile stretched a little wider. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Do you believe now that I’m... capable?" she asked, her brows rising as he thought it over.

After a moment, he smiled and nodded.

[Strong Mama.]

"I am," she smirked. "So even if this happens again — I’m not saying it will — but just in case..."

She trailed off as he was already moving his hands to tell her,

[You will be fine.]

"Yep, Mama will be fine," she nodded reassuringly, looking deep into his eyes. "And Mama will come for you too, in case these people get creative. Not just me — the big boss too. Everyone."

Primo pursed his lips and nodded.

[I know.]

He smiled quietly, relieved that she was finally here with him.

Just earlier that day, he hadn’t been expecting anything. If anything, he had expected to see her after some time, once she was truly well. But from the moment she arrived, she had spent the entire day with him. She hadn’t left his sight — not even for a second.

She had even waited outside the shower curtain while he bathed, as though she knew he needed to keep her within reach. It reassured him in a way nothing else could, slowly dismantling all the dark thoughts that had been settling inside him.

Now, Primo felt safe enough to close his eyes, knowing she would still be there when he opened them.

"Sleep now," she said quietly. "You still have school tomorrow, remember?"

He nodded and closed his eyes like a good boy.

Ashley stayed with him, stroking his hair gently with her fingertips until his breathing deepened. She withdrew her hand and smiled, relieved that Primo wasn’t as shaken as she had feared.

As she pushed herself up from the floor and turned to leave, her eyes caught the notepad on the bedside table. She glanced at him, and an idea came to her.

Ashley picked up the pen and opened the drawing pad, planning to write him a letter — something he could read when he woke up. But the moment she opened it, the first thing she saw was his handwriting.

[Nolan, did I become too greedy?]

Her expression fell as she read through his earlier words. Her heart ached. Her eyes softened with guilt as she turned to look at the boy sleeping peacefully, a small smile still on his face.

If I had died yesterday... would he have blamed himself for the rest of his life?

Ashley drew a deep breath and exhaled sharply, hoping it would ease the tightness in her chest. It barely helped.

"It’s not your fault, Primo," she whispered, carefully perching on the edge of the bed and lowering her head to press a soft kiss against his forehead. "It’s never your fault."

She drew back and stared at his sleeping face.

"And I’ll make sure you never blame yourself for anything again."

A quiet glint flickered in her eyes.

More than anything, Ashley’s priority was to make sure Primo would not be consumed by fear because of what had happened. She, of all people, knew what it was like to be a child raised in a place like this — and how a child’s mind could be shaped by situations like these, by incidents and twisted logic alike.

But now that she had managed to quiet the dark thoughts filling Primo’s head, her own mind had room for other things.

For instance, retaliation.

There was no way she would ever forgive whoever was behind this. She might have once, if this had happened before. But not only had he frightened her beloved Primo, but he had also ruined their first family day.

Unforgivable.

With that settled in her mind, Ashley slipped out of Primo’s room and headed straight to the bedroom to get some work done. After all, she hadn’t contacted Omen last night for nothing. And though Omen had already given her significant information, she wasn’t done yet.

But as soon as she stepped inside the bedroom, she stopped.

"Huh?" Her brows rose.

Lucian stood beside the bed with his arms crossed. Spread across the mattress were medicines and wound-cleaning supplies.

Lucian lifted his gaze to her, slow and deliberate.

"Come here."

"What are these for?" she asked, approaching the bed cautiously.

"What do you think?" he replied with a low exhale as he settled onto the bed. "The doctor said there were risks in letting you come home when you shouldn’t have."

It was his responsibility to make sure her wound didn’t get infected.

He patted the mattress. "You promised."

"...Fine." She sighed and lowered herself onto the bed.

Ashley turned her back to him, then paused as she felt his knuckles graze her skin. She glanced over her shoulder.

"I can do it myself."

But Lucian said nothing as he quietly lifted the hem of her oversized shirt. In the end, she let him, quietly drawing her knees up to cover her exposed front. One arm wrapped around her legs to hold them in place while her other hand rested loosely at her side.

Behind her, Lucian sat close enough that his breath brushed against her spine. His fingers moved carefully around the bandage, peeling it back as gently as he could.

Ashley lowered her head and pressed her lips together. She knew he was only cleaning the wound and redressing it. And yet all she could think about was the warmth of his breath against her skin. Her cheeks flushed as her eyes dropped, her mind drifting unbidden to the image of him in that helicopter, blowing apart a section of the ship before making his way to her.

I know he’s handsome like the devil, but...

She peeked over her shoulder and stared longer than she realized. She only noticed when he raised his head and caught her gaze.

Lucian’s brows drew together slightly. His gaze briefly dropped to her bare shoulder before refocusing on the wound. It had kept him concentrated, and he was nearly done redressing it when he noticed her staring.

"Don’t look at me like that," he said, his voice low.

He tapped her lower back, a quiet reminder that she had no top on. She should know that if not for the wound on her back, those track pants would have been long gone by now.

But just as he was about to tell her he was finished and that she should get dressed, she spoke.

"For some reason, I’m only just realizing this now..." she trailed off, tilting her head, her eyes holding his. "...Lucian, you’re absolutely my type."