My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 336

Chapter 336: I hope my prayers were heard.

"Nolan."

Nolan nearly flinched at Lucian’s voice behind him. He had been about to slip away and give the family some time alone, but stopped at the side door at the sound of his name.

He turned, catching Lucian walking toward him. "Ye — yes, Master?"

Lucian smiled quietly at the old man, who seemed to have aged a full year overnight.

"You probably already know this, but..." he said gently. "I’m not dying. And thank you — for everything."

Silence settled between them as Nolan’s eyes went wide. It wasn’t as though Lucian had never thanked him before, and it wasn’t as though Raka hadn’t already told him he would look into what Lucian actually had.

But hearing it directly from Lucian — the stubborn heaviness in his chest, the tightness he hadn’t been able to shake, lifted.

Lucian gave him a small nod, dipping his head slightly. Then, without another word, he turned and went to join his wife and son in the living area.

"Primo, wow — you’re very smart, kid," Ashley’s voice carried through the room. "You ordered everything we ate tonight out of your own savings?!"

[I save up a lot.]

"Wow... this little guy is rich!" She gasped and turned to Lucian. "Lu, did you hear him?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lucian hummed. "He learned financial literacy early."

"What?!"

"It’s important."

"Wow..."

[Mama, don’t you have savings?]

"..." Ashley opened her mouth, then closed it. Beside her, both her husband and son carefully bit their tongues.

Lucian glanced at Primo, his eyes conveying plainly that he had asked the wrong question. Primo looked back at him and shrugged.

[If Mama needs money, I’ll lend you mine.]

Primo smiled, eyes crinkling, before adding:

[Low interest only. Special rate for Mama.]

Lucian looked up and quietly weighed his son’s very generous trap. Deciding it was not a bad strategy for keeping Ashley around indefinitely, he nodded and smiled at her.

Ashley narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "Why do I feel like I’m being set up?"

The family settled into their usual evening rhythm — idling in the living area after dinner, television on in the background. But instead of watching, Primo and Lucian were already at it again, quietly conspiring about how to ensure Ashley would never leave them.

From his spot near the side door, Nolan watched them. His eyes softened, stinging just slightly.

Seeing the three of them like this moved something in him that few things could.

Not long ago, when people had been infiltrating the neighborhood, his heart had felt ready to give out. Then he had learned Lucian was dying. His entire world had seemed to crumble — and above everything else, he had felt powerless. Unable to do anything more to protect Ashley or Primo. Unable to stop the situation from unraveling.

"I suppose," he whispered, "the normal we’ve been praying for has always been right here."

And asking for more than this was perhaps too much to hope for.

Hours later, Ashley lay smiling as she studied Primo’s sleeping face.

As usual, she was sandwiched between Primo and Lucian. She stared up at the ceiling, the corners of her lips curling on their own.

"Tomorrow, you’ll do the test, right?" She asked, turning her head toward him.

Lucian was also on his back, eyes on the ceiling. He answered with a soft hum.

"I’m a little nervous," she admitted.

Lucian turned his head to look at her quietly.

"I have high hopes," she continued softly. "I hope what you have is something treatable — and that Raka’s miracle pills really are miraculous, so they can treat it even if nothing else can." She paused. "But at the same time, there’s this feeling I can’t shake."

A shallow exhale. "Every time I feel too happy — or just content with how things are — something comes along and hits me with horrible news."

"I pray that’s not the case this time." She turned her head to meet his gaze, smiling faintly. "Really. Just this once... I hope my prayers were heard."

Lucian rolled onto his side to face her. "I hope so too."

Even so — even with the quiet certainty growing in him that what he had was not what the first diagnosis said, nor the second opinion, nor the third — he also knew that neither of them would truly exhale until the tests came back and Raka confirmed it.

A moment of stillness passed between them.

"Lucian," came her soft voice. She held his gaze. "Regardless of what the results say." She took his hand, looked him in the eye, and smiled. "I’ll be with you. Okay?"

His eyes softened. His fingertips brushed her cheek, and he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her nose.

"I know," he said, drawing back. "Regardless, I’ll fight."