Lucian had noticed that ever since their guests left, Ashley had been acting strangely.

Not in her usual way, where she was relaxed and comfortable.

Sitting idly in the living room, he stared toward the stairs.

"She’s taking a little longer than usual," he hummed, already missing her even though she was only upstairs.

To make sure she was alright, Lucian pushed himself off the couch.

He carefully made his way toward their bedroom, his brows furrowing when he noticed the bathroom door slightly ajar.

Curious, he approached.

His footsteps were nearly silent as he tilted his head and peeked through the gap.

The closer he got, the clearer the scene became.

Ashley stood in front of the sink, staring into the mirror with a slightly distressed expression.

"Can it fit?" she mumbled to herself.

Then she stretched her mouth open as wide as she could.

The lines on Lucian’s face deepened. Without realizing it, he found himself opening his own mouth as he watched her.

Thankfully, he caught himself before he copied her entirely.

"And I have to be careful not to graze it with my teeth," she whispered again.

Out of instinct, she tucked her lips over her teeth and examined herself in the mirror.

Lucian and Ashley had certainly explored their married life together.

But she had never attempted... that.

Most of their intimacy consisted of passionate kisses that often left her lips swollen and numb.

As she continued wondering how to make her husband happy, her gaze drifted toward a shampoo bottle sitting nearby.

Her lips pursed.

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind.

Lucian is massive, she thought. Not as massive as that, but...

Before she could do anything as absurd as comparing measurements with a shampoo bottle, Lucian accidentally pushed the door open.

"Ah!" Ashley flinched and whipped around. "Lucian! What are you... doing here?"

Clearing his throat, he answered honestly. "You were taking longer than usual."

He pointed toward the hallway. "I thought there was a problem."

And that wasn’t a lie.

Aside from missing her, he was worried she had been held up by an emergency call or message.

He already knew there were issues at the company, even if Ashley insisted he didn’t need to worry.

"What are you doing?" he asked, pointing toward the shampoo bottle. "Why are you staring at that?"

Ashley glanced at the bottle before quickly shaking her head.

"Hehe. I was just wondering whether I should restock it or switch shampoos."

"It’s still half full."

She nodded immediately. "Of course. Just making sure!"

A brief silence followed. Eventually, Lucian nodded.

From his perspective, there really wasn’t any other reason.

"Okay."

Ashley quickly moved toward the door. "Let’s just go downstairs, okay?"

"Mhm."

The couple left the bathroom together. However, after only a few steps, Lucian couldn’t help asking:

"Does your jaw hurt?"

"Huh?"

"I saw you doing jaw exercises," he replied casually. "Does it hurt?"

Ashley’s smile froze. Then she quickly shook her head.

"It’s... I’m fine. Don’t worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" She bumped her shoulder against his. "Why would I lie to you about something so simple?"

Lucian studied her face before finally nodding. He chose not to dwell on it. But just as they reached the bedroom door, Ashley suddenly stopped.

"Hm?" Lucian turned back.

He followed her gaze.

Both of them looked toward a small paper bag resting on the desk.

"I noticed your facial wash was running low," Lucian explained when she looked back at him. "A few other things were almost empty too, so I stopped by the mall earlier and bought the brands you use."

Ashley blinked. Surprise filled her face.

"Let’s go downstairs," he said, extending a hand toward her. "Primo isn’t here, so we can stay up a little later tonight."

Lucian wasn’t thinking of anything beyond spending time together.

Even if a small part of him was tempted to take advantage of having the entire house to themselves, they had already agreed to take things easy while he was still undergoing treatment.

Perhaps he truly needed that time machine after all. Speed things up in his treatment so he could be as free as a bird.

"I’ll be with you in a moment." Ashley smacked her lips and smiled. "I just forgot something. I mean... I need the bathroom. Call of nature."

Lucian frowned.

But she had already hurried back toward the bathroom.

A shallow sigh escaped him. In the end, he decided not to think too much about it.

Instead, he headed downstairs and waited.

He waited.

And waited.

For Lucian, one minute felt like ten.

Two felt like half an hour.

Then came three minutes.

"Is her stomach really hurting that badly?" he wondered.

After some thought, he reached for his phone. But before calling someone for help, he headed into the kitchen to check their medicine cabinet.

If her stomach was upset, she should take something for it.

Maybe that was why she had been acting strangely all evening.

Lucian checked their supply. Then frowned.

"We’re out."

Without wasting a second—as though it were a medical emergency—he grabbed his phone and called Red.

"Master—"

"Bring anti-diarrheal medicine to the house immediately," Lucian interrupted. "As soon as possible."

Then he hung up.

At that exact moment, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Expecting to see a pale and uncomfortable Ashley, he looked up.

Instead, he froze.

Ashley stood near the bottom of the staircase. One hand rested lightly on the railing.

Her damp hair suggested she had just taken a shower. A thick bathrobe wrapped around her figure, tied securely at the waist.

Yet despite the robe, her graceful curves were impossible to miss.

"What..." Lucian trailed off.

Ashley walked toward him until she stopped before him.

Lucian studied her expression.

The slight curl of her lips. The confidence in her eyes.

When their gazes met once more, something flickered in his.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Ashley wrapped an arm around his neck and rose onto her toes.

"What do you think?" she replied with a playful smirk, lightly tracing a fingertip across his shoulder.

Then she grabbed the front of his shirt and gently pulled him closer.

"How about you take a guess?" she whispered.

Lucian’s entire body went rigid.

When she leaned back slightly, he slipped an arm around her waist.

"I don’t take things like this as a joke," he murmured, brushing the tip of his nose against her cheek. "It better not be one."

Ashley only giggled.

Rather than answering, she tilted her head slightly.

And Lucian closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a warm, lingering kiss.