Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Ashley had never heard of it until now.

It was a lung disease that still has no cure to this day. Some treatments and medications could slow its progression, and in the worst-case scenario, a transplant was also an option.

However, a lung transplant was not truly a cure.

It could extend Lucian’s life, but it could also drastically change the quality of that life.

According to Doctor Wesley, Lucian had already been diagnosed long before Ashley married him. Back then, he had been given five years to live.

That was with treatment.

But Lucian refused treatment.

Lucian refused everything—the medication, the transplant, even the idea of stepping back from work. He didn’t even change his lifestyle until recently.

"His recent test results show that he has even less time than we initially estimated. According to the specialist I consulted, the master is already in the end stage," Doctor Wesley explained heavily as he looked at Ashley before shifting his gaze toward Gustav and Lukas seated across from her.

He could no longer hide the truth, especially after Lucian’s body had finally given out.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly, lowering his head. "I tried to persuade him, but he refused to budge."

And honestly, Doctor Wesley couldn’t entirely blame him.

Lucian was not like other patients.

He occupied a position where he could never afford to fall.

Gustav and Lukas sat there blankly. Their eyes widened while tension tightened across their brows. A lump lodged itself in their throats as they struggled to process information they never imagined they would hear this morning.

"The transplant..." Lukas breathed out, forcing himself to snap out of the shock.

Leaning forward, panic hidden beneath his pale complexion, he rested his arms on his knees and fixed his eyes on Doctor Wesley.

"The transplant is still possible, right?"

Doctor Wesley nodded slowly. "But it’s not a cure—"

"It will buy him time," Gustav cut in, his voice trembling with restraint. "Doctor Wesley, he can’t keep collapsing like this. You know that. He cannot—he can’t..."

Lucian could not die.

Yet Gustav couldn’t bring himself to say those words aloud, as though merely speaking them would make them real.

"The master needs at least an eighty-five percent donor match," Doctor Wesley explained. "The master refused the transplant, but I still placed him on the priority list. Even so, we’re still waiting for a compatible donor."

"Can’t we get one as soon as possible?" Lukas asked sharply.

"He doesn’t have a match yet—"

"Tell us what we need to do," Gustav interrupted. "We’ll find someone compatible ourselves."

"Sir Gustav, Sir Lukas, the hospital requires an organ donor from the official registry. They update the list promptly, so if we wait a little longer—"

"Wait?" Lukas laughed bitterly. "We wait? Did you really just say that?"

Gustav raised a hand to stop Lukas before he completely exploded on Doctor Wesley. Drawing a deep breath, Gustav looked the doctor directly in the eye.

"Doctor Wesley, I apologize for him, but the person we are talking about is the master," Gustav stressed every word carefully. "This is not something we can simply wait for when we have the means and determination to solve it ourselves."

Lukas ground his teeth, hissing under his breath as he looked away.

The underground organ trade existed within the black market.

Dominion itself was not involved in that business.

But would it truly be wrong for them to use that market just once?

If it meant saving Lucian, then what exactly was wrong with that?

Hell, Gustav and Lukas could easily find a living person and take what they needed by force if it came down to it.

They were fully capable of doing the unimaginable without losing a single wink of sleep afterward.

Doctor Wesley opened and closed his mouth, his eyes darting between Gustav and Lukas. Both men wore the same frightening expression of unwavering determination.

But why was he even surprised?

These were Dominion men.

Even if Lucian had legalized half their operations, these men were still deeply rooted in the underground world. One more crime would mean nothing to them if they believed it was for Lucian—for Dominion.

Doctor Wesley sighed heavily before glancing toward the other couch.

Ashley remained seated in the exact same position as before. Unlike Gustav and Lukas, she hadn’t uttered a single word.

Her eyes remained lowered, her body motionless, her expression pale and empty.

Physically, she was here.

Mentally, however, it felt as though she wasn’t even following the conversation anymore.

"Madam," Doctor Wesley called gently. "What do you want to do? You are his wife, so ultimately, the decision will be yours."

"What!?" Lukas shot to his feet. "Ridiculous!"

"Doctor Wesley, I understand you have no obligation to follow Dominion’s beliefs or practices. However, this matter..." Lukas pointed toward the floor aggressively. "This should be handled by us."

"Can’t you see?!" Lukas roared, jabbing a finger toward Ashley. "The master didn’t even tell her about this! And without knowing, she kept pushing him to do everything—even something as stupid as that school event!"

"Lukas," Gustav warned quietly. "This is not the time."

But Lukas refused to stop.

He glared at Ashley with murderous fury burning in his eyes.

"If she hadn’t forced him to attend that stupid school event, he wouldn’t have collapsed like this. The master wouldn’t have exhausted himself to this point. It’s her fault."

"She..." Lukas panted heavily, his chest rising violently with rage. "It’s her fault."

Gustav opened his mouth, yet no words came out. Even if he tried to stop Lukas now, would it matter?

Or perhaps... did he even truly want to stop him?

Deep down, Gustav couldn’t completely stop himself from blaming Ashley as well.

But he kept forcing himself to remember that blame solved nothing. They needed a solution, not another problem.

"It’s not her fault," Doctor Wesley snapped, glaring at Lukas this time. "Mr. Lukas, the master knew his diagnosis. Today’s event has nothing to do with his collapse. This was inevitable."

"Are you sure about that?" Lukas shot back intensely. "As a doctor, even if the master ordered you to stay silent, you still had responsibilities! Yet you said nothing until it was already too late!"

Meanwhile, Ashley remained silent with her eyes lowered.

Lukas didn’t need to accuse her further because, at this point, nobody would understand that she had already taken all the blame upon herself. Every bit of it.

And yet...

Somehow, she still couldn’t cry.

If anything, the only thing Ashley felt after hearing Doctor Wesley explain Lucian’s condition was numbness.

Her entire body—from head to toe, inside and out—felt numb. Too numb.

"Doctor Wesley," she finally spoke, cutting through the heated argument.

Doctor Wesley, Gustav, and even Lukas turned toward her.

But before she could continue, Lukas immediately warned her,

"Don’t you dare make decisions for him," he growled, shaking his head. "Don’t... you dare."

Ashley glanced toward Lukas with a blank expression. It was impossible to tell whether she cared about his words or not.

Then she turned back toward Doctor Wesley.

"Can I see him?"

"Huh?"

"I want to see my husband before going home," she said quietly.

"Home?" Lukas scoffed while Gustav frowned deeply. "The master is in critical condition, and you can’t even wait to go home? What a bitch."

Doctor Wesley, however, didn’t judge her.

Because waiting back home was a child who knew nothing yet.

"Yes," Doctor Wesley nodded softly. "I’ll take you to him."

"Thank you."

Ashley nodded before slowly pushing herself up from the couch.

As she walked out with Doctor Wesley, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"If the transplant is the only way to buy him more time..." Ashley pursed her lips slightly before turning toward Doctor Wesley. "Please schedule it."

After saying that, she resumed walking while Doctor Wesley remained frozen in place for a moment.

Meanwhile, Gustav and Lukas silently stared at her retreating back with furrowed brows.

Ashley never looked back at them.

She didn’t even glance over her shoulder.

But even without directly addressing them, she had already agreed to find Lucian a donor match... no matter what methods they chose to use.