Ashley stood beside Lucian’s bed, dressed in a gown with a mask covering half her face. Her hair was tucked beneath a bouffant cap.

The mechanical rhythm of his heartbeat echoed throughout the ICU room. Her eyes swept over the machines and wires attached to him. They had placed him on oxygen because his lungs were failing.

Even though he still looked almost the same as when he slept peacefully, his complexion was far too pale.

The palest she had ever seen in her life.

Ashley bit down hard on her lip behind the mask. A lump lodged itself in her throat, and no matter how many times she swallowed, it refused to disappear. She stared at him in utter disbelief, unable to accept seeing her husband in such a state.

Just an hour ago, Lucian had been playing those silly games with her.

He had even led their team to victory with his ridiculous strategies.

So how was she supposed to believe that only an hour later, someone would tell her he didn’t have long left to live?

That he had been dying this whole time?

How could any of this make sense when Lucian always looked perfectly fine?

But then her mind replayed the image of him dragging himself into that corner alone—suffering silently while suppressing pain so well that even she never noticed.

And every time that thought crossed her mind, her heart cracked a little more.

"Why..."

The corners of her eyes reddened as she fought back the tears threatening to fall. Her throat bobbed with a hard swallow, though her breathing remained uneven.

"Lucian..." she whispered, her fingertips brushing against his. "...is this why?"

Was this the answer to why she always felt as though he was running out of time?

If so, then everything finally made sense.

Why, in her first life, Lucian had desperately pushed her to build something for herself outside the underground world.

Why, even in this life, he still insisted on pushing her toward a future beyond Dominion.

It finally made sense why he worried so obsessively about the future. Even when he seemed paranoid, he constantly tried to resolve problems before they could happen.

Because Lucian knew he didn’t have much time left.

He had always known his days were numbered.

While Ashley laughed, wasted time, and did every ridiculous thing she could think of—while she kissed him, hugged him, looked at him, and held his hand so selfishly—she never realized that inside, he was slowly dying.

Even then, while she plotted her escape and hurt him with both her words and actions, she failed to see the man hidden behind the untouchable mask he showed everyone else.

And in the end...

He still managed to whisper, I’m sorry.

Sorry for what?

For letting her discover the truth?

For collapsing and exposing the weakness he had worked so hard to hide?

What exactly was that apology for?

Ashley drew in a shaky breath and tilted her head upward, forcing the tears back down.

"I’m not going to cry," she whispered before taking another deep breath as she looked down at him again. "I’m not crying."

Because if she cried, Primo would notice.

And if Primo noticed, he would ask questions.

And if he asked... Ashley had no idea how she was supposed to tell their son that his father was dying.

Lucian had held himself together for as long as he could.

This was the least she could do for him.

Ashley nodded slowly at him.

"Lucian, I warned you before. If you die, I’ll ruin Dominion. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

"So you should wake up," her voice cracked as she paused briefly, trying to steady herself. "You can’t die yet. Not yet... not like this."

Ashley bit her lip again, forcing a smile despite the tears glistening in her eyes.

"Let’s talk later then, hmm?" she murmured softly, wrapping her finger around his. "Promise, okay?"

But the only thing answering her was the steady mechanical rhythm of his heartbeat monitor.

Ashley remained by his side, taking deep breaths while borrowing whatever courage she could from him.

When she finally calmed down a little, she nodded faintly.

"For now, I’ll take care of everything. So rest as much as you want... then come back to me."

*****

Meanwhile, outside the ward, Ashley’s bodyguards stood alongside the men Gustav stationed around the entire floor.

The hallway remained eerily silent.

They didn’t know the full details yet, but they already understood one thing:

It was bad.

Since Red had been the one following Ashley earlier, he was the first to witness what happened. He had arrived only to see Ashley holding Lucian while blood stained him.

At first, Red genuinely thought Lucian had been attacked.

It wasn’t until they were inside the ambulance that he realized the blood hadn’t come from a gunshot wound.

It was because Lucian briefly regained consciousness... and coughed up blood.

"What... now?"

After a long silence, Khan’s whisper echoed through the hallway.

Everyone turned toward him, lips pressed tightly together. Their eyes carried different emotions, but none of them had an answer.

Now what?

With Lucian confined to the ICU, what would happen next?

His position could not remain empty for long.

At the moment, Gustav and Lukas were doing everything they could to suppress the news from leaking.

But everyone already knew it was only a matter of time before word spread.

For a while, the men simply stared at one another until some movement caught their attention.

Turning their heads, they saw Gustav and Lukas walking down the hallway toward them.

The men immediately straightened up, including Khan’s group, fully aware of Gustav and Lukas’ standing within Dominion.

"Where is she?" Lukas asked the moment he approached them.

Before anyone could answer, the ICU doors opened.

Ashley stepped out.

Instinctively, everyone turned toward her.

They expected swollen eyes or a broken expression. Anything.

Instead, Ashley merely glanced at them without any visible reaction before calmly walking toward the group. She stopped near Gustav and Lukas.

"You—" Lukas started, only to halt when Ashley raised a hand to stop him.

"If this isn’t news about a cure or a donor match, then save it," she said calmly, almost coldly.

Her gaze shifted briefly from Lukas to Gustav. After taking a shallow breath, she looked toward the others. Specifically, Khan.

"Drive me home."

With that, Ashley walked past Lukas and Gustav without another glance.

Everyone frowned while Lukas’ expression twisted violently.

"You’re seriously going home? Hah!" Lukas let out a mocking laugh. "Even if you want to leave Dominion, you should at least pretend to look sad."

Ashley stopped mid-step before slowly looking back at him.

A faint, humorless smile almost formed on her lips.

"Why should I stay?" she asked without hesitation. "Will staying beside him magically cure him?"