"Motorbike?"

Ashley stood outside the house, staring at the two motorcycles parked in front of them.

She turned to Lucian, who was already approaching one of the bikes.

Without a word, he picked up a helmet and walked back to her.

"Lucian, what’s this?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What exactly are you planning?"

A chuckle escaped him. "We’re going somewhere."

"Where?"

"You’ll find out."

Ashley frowned. "What about Primo?"

"I already talked to Nolan." He tipped his head toward the neighboring house.

Ashley followed his gaze and immediately caught several heads ducking behind the low fence. Her eyes narrowed. Then she looked back at her husband.

"I’m starting to get nervous." A nervous laugh escaped her. "Also, why are there two motorcycles?"

"One for you." Lucian glanced at the bikes before looking back at her. "One for me."

"Lucian," Ashley grabbed his arm, hesitation written all over her face. "You’re still in treatment. You should be resting. A lot. Like, a lot. That’s what Raka said, right?"

"No."

"Huh?"

Lucian glanced upward slightly.

He recalled the wild look on Raka’s face and the way the man had jabbed a finger between his eyes while warning him not to do anything reckless.

Raka’s exact words had been:

"My miracle pill is miraculous, but it’s not magic! Remember that."

A smile tugged at Lucian’s lips. He shook his head and looked back at her.

"He said I can do this much." He nodded confidently. "Besides, his miracle pill is that miraculous."

He deliberately chose not to think about everything Raka had said afterward.

"Huh..." Ashley tilted her head. "Well, that certainly sounds like something Raka would say."

Then she tightened her grip on his arm.

"But Lucian, you should still rest. Let’s do this after you’ve fully recovered and—"

"I am fine." He cut her off before the lecture could begin.

Smiling, he lifted the helmet and carefully placed it over her head.

"The Great Mr. Raka Jean also told me something else his patient needed," he muttered.

Raka’s patient — meaning Ashley.

Since Lucian had already mentally enrolled her into Raka’s program without either Ashley or Raka knowing.

"Something else you need?" Ashley assumed.

She studied him closely. "What is it? Maybe I can get it for you."

Lucian paused. Then he held her gaze.

"A happy pill."

"Huh?"

"A happy pill," he repeated, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Stop worrying about me for a moment," he paused, then added, "or anything else."

Silence settled between them. They simply stared at one another.

The more time Lucian spent with Ashley, the more habits he began noticing.

Little things.

Things most people wouldn’t catch.

For example, Ashley rarely put herself first — never.

Primo came first, then Lucian, then everyone else. And somewhere at the very bottom of a very long list was Ashley herself.

To make matters worse, she always had a perfectly reasonable explanation for it.

One convincing enough to silence criticism.

Meanwhile, Ashley simply watched him carefully adjust the helmet as though her head were made of glass.

A quiet laugh escaped her.

"Lucian, is this because of last night?" She tilted her head. "I told you already, didn’t I? I’ll handle it."

"I know you will." His answer came immediately. "You always do."

He locked the strap beneath her chin and straightened. "I’m not worried about that anymore."

The lie sat right on the edge of his teeth.

Of course, he was worried.

He had spent the entire day thinking about it. Thinking of solutions. Thinking of ways to fix it. Ways to make sure she never had to cry again.

Never had to hurt.

Never had to relive the trauma that shaped her and continued haunting her even now.

Lucian possessed wealth, resources, influence, and connections.

Enough power to solve almost any problem in the world.

How could he not solve this?

Yet after an entire day of thinking, he had reached one conclusion. Raka was right.

He couldn’t fix it. Nothing he owned could.

At best, everything he had would only provide temporary relief.

That realization, however, didn’t mean there was truly nothing he could do.

"Let’s go." He reached for her hand, only to stop when she tugged it back.

"Lucian." Worry filled her voice. "I’m okay. Really."

Lucian simply stared at her.

Even now, she was putting him first.

His health.

His feelings.

His worries.

Before her own.

"Please," the word left him quietly.

Ashley hesitated.

He could almost see the endless list of concerns running through her mind. Before she could spiral any further, he squeezed her hand gently.

"Fine." She sighed helplessly. "Goodness, Lucian."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Sometimes, you can be incredibly stubborn."

Lucian chuckled and led her toward the motorcycles. Picking up another helmet, he put it on himself.

"We should just use one bike," Ashley pointed out. "I can drive. I promise I’ll be careful."

A smirk appeared beneath Lucian’s visor. He swung a leg over the motorcycle and settled into the seat.

"If we ride one bike," he asked, "how are you supposed to catch me?"

Deep lines immediately appeared on Ashley’s forehead. She watched him rev the engine.

Lucian kicked up the stand and steadied the motorcycle beneath him.

One hand rested on the throttle. The other on the handlebar. His visor remained raised. His eyes stayed fixed on hers.

"I assume you know the traffic loophole law," he said casually.

"The what?"

"If you go fast enough, traffic enforcers usually stop trying."

Ashley stared at him. "What kind of nonsense—"

But the engine suddenly roared. Before she could finish speaking, Lucian shot forward — fast — very fast.

"...speed." The rest of her sentence died in her throat.

Her mouth fell open. She could only stare at the rapidly shrinking taillight.

"Lu—" She blinked. "Lu?"

Then her eyes widened. "HEY! That’s dangerous!"

Grinding her teeth, Ashley rushed toward her own motorcycle.

Lucian had only recently started treatment. The poison was still inside his body. There was absolutely no reason for him to be riding like a lunatic.

She threw a leg over the bike and started the engine.

The next second, she accelerated after him like she was chasing a wanted criminal.

As they went, the guys just right across the street slowly popped their heads over the fence and watched her vehicle.

"Wow..." Rum blurted out. "Who do you think will win this race?"