The highway wasn’t empty at this hour, but it wasn’t particularly busy either.

Tonight, however, the sound of blaring horns and angry curses seemed louder than usual.

After all, two motorcycles were tearing down the highway as though they were filming an action movie. All they needed were guns, and it would have looked straight out of a blockbuster.

"Lu—that idiot," Ashley hissed through gritted teeth, completely ignoring the furious honking around her. "What is he thinking? Is he trying to give me a heart attack?"

Was this revenge?

Had she done something wrong recently?

Worried, confused, and increasingly irritated by Lucian’s actions, Ashley twisted the throttle and fearlessly chased after him.

A few traffic cameras flashed past her vision, but nobody came after them. Even if the traffic police wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to catch either of them.

A loophole in the system.

And finding loopholes had always been one of Lucian’s greatest strengths.

Meanwhile, Lucian glanced at his side mirror.

The moment he did, he caught sight of Ashley weaving through traffic and overtaking cars with frightening determination.

To everyone else, it probably looked like a high-speed chase from an action film.

To him?

It looked exactly like an angry wife chasing her husband.

"She’s going to kill me," he muttered under his breath.

Then he swallowed. "I’m... nervous."

It was the first time Lucian had experienced this particular kind of dread. The kind that slowly crawled up his spine.

Because he knew one thing.

If he stopped, he was dead.

Lucian gulped and finally slowed down when they reached a stretch of road with fewer vehicles.

It took Ashley less than a minute to catch up.

"Lucian!" she shouted from the neighboring lane. "Slow down! This is dangerous!"

He turned toward her. Even through the visor, he could see the fear in her eyes.

If this were a real chase, she wouldn’t look frightened at all.

His eyes softened. Raising a finger, he pointed ahead before giving her a thumbs-up.

Then he accelerated again.

"Lu—!"

Ashley ground her teeth as she watched him speed away once more.

Clicking her tongue, she twisted the throttle harder. The motorcycle roared.

For a moment, the bike leaned sharply before stabilizing as it surged forward.

Questions flashed through her mind one after another.

"I swear..." she breathed through clenched teeth. "If something happens to him after everything we’ve been through... he’s dead."

Seething and worried at the same time, she pushed the bike even harder. She was already well past the legal speed limit, yet Lucian remained ahead.

But none of that compared to the frantic pounding of her heart.

Adrenaline.

Fear.

Frustration.

Everything mixed together.

As they exited the highway and entered another road, Ashley frowned.

The farther they went, the fewer vehicles she saw.

"Where is he taking me?" she wondered aloud. "We’re getting pretty far from home."

Not that she was worried about the house. Nolan and the others were there.

More importantly, she noticed something else. Nobody was following them. No guards. No escort vehicles.

Nothing.

"Lucian," she grumbled.

For perhaps the first time in a long while, she felt genuinely annoyed with him.

Who wouldn’t be?

Not long ago, she thought she was going to lose him.

They had barely survived that ordeal through sheer luck and a miracle. Since then, Ashley had developed a new fear.

Losing the people she loved.

At least not now.

Not so soon.

Not yet.

If only she knew that was exactly why Lucian was doing this.

She was terrified of losing everyone around her... except herself.

***

Time passed.

Ashley had no idea where Lucian was taking her. Eventually, she slowed down when she saw him ride through a large gate.

Beyond it was an uphill road surrounded by darkness. The headlights only illuminated a short distance ahead.

Whatever lay beyond the gate was clearly their destination. So she eased off the throttle and followed.

Soon, she spotted him.

There, in the middle of a wide concrete space, stood Lucian.

His helmet rested on the motorcycle’s handlebar. Both hands were tucked into his pockets as he waited for her.

Ashley’s expression darkened.

She brought her motorcycle to a stop and kicked down the stand with enough force that it nearly snapped. Jumping off the bike, she restrained herself from exploding — barely.

The moment she removed her helmet, she roared,

"Lucian De Luca!"

Lucian gulped. Every step she took toward him seemed to increase the pressure in the air.

"What are you—" Ashley stopped mid-sentence as the sudden brightness exploded around them.

She flinched instinctively and raised an arm to shield her eyes.

One after another, lights flickered to life. Slowly, she lowered her arm. Then she blinked and blinked again.

Meters behind Lucian stood a carousel.

Golden lights wrapped around it as it slowly turned. Fairy lights stretched across the area. Neon signs blinked in every direction. Rides illuminated the darkness one by one.

Farther in the distance, a giant Ferris wheel lit up the night sky.

"An amusement park?" she whispered.

She hadn’t noticed any of it earlier because every light had been turned off. Yet despite that, everything appeared fully operational.

There was just one difference.

The entire amusement park was empty.

No one was there except for them.

"I was told it’s impossible to build a real-time machine." Lucian’s voice drew her attention.

She turned back toward him.

"I can’t go back in time and fix things," he continued as he walked closer. "Even if I spend my entire fortune."

He stopped in front of her. Warm lights reflected in his eyes.

Slowly, he reached out and held her hand.

"But..." His gaze lingered on the confusion and disbelief written across her face. "But I can give you something in the present."

His thumb brushed against her knuckles. "A small gift."

Ashley simply stared at him. "Lucian, what’s..."

"I can’t change what happened," he admitted quietly. "And I’m sorry that all I can do is this."

His smile softened. Then he took a deep breath.

"Let’s have a date." He paused. "Just the two of us."