My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 368

Chapter 368: Dream Jar

"The park is so beautiful from up here."

Ashley stared out the window of the enclosed Ferris wheel cabin in awe.

They hadn’t reached the top yet, but everything below was already slowly shrinking.

Her smile softened as she admired the view.

Colorful.

Magical.

Fun.

That was what she had always imagined amusement parks to be.

The first time she came to one with Lucian and Primo, she had realized she wasn’t wrong.

But tonight felt different. Maybe it was because tonight... tonight was for her.

All for her.

She couldn’t help feeling giddier. More selfish. More energetic.

And strangely... more melancholic.

What a strange combination of emotions.

"Lucian, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?" she whispered, her eyes still fixed outside. "So pretty."

Across from her, Lucian was staring at her.

As though no matter where he looked, there was only one view he truly enjoyed.

That face.

That soft smile.

That mixture of happiness and sadness in her eyes.

A look that made her seem like a girl enjoying herself while simultaneously looking as though she might cry at any moment.

What a beautiful ruin, a beautiful mess.

"Mhm." His lips curved slightly. "It is."

His gaze softened. "Very beautiful."

Ashley’s smile widened as she turned toward him, only to catch him staring. She paused, her brows wrinkling. Her lips parted slightly.

He wasn’t looking outside, but at her.

"Goodness, you." She pursed her lips before smiling quietly and turning her attention back to the view. "Focus. You don’t want to miss this... well, maybe we can do it again."

The Ferris wheel continued its steady climb. Even within a few seconds, everything below looked noticeably smaller.

The rides.

The booths.

The food stalls.

From this height, they were barely larger than her pinky.

Silence settled between them as neither of them talked. She admired the outside view, and he admired her.

Then Ashley spoke softly.

"Why?" Her eyes remained on the view. "Why an amusement park, Lucian?"

Deep down, she was asking because they had already been to one before. Not this one, though. This amusement park was much farther away.

Not that she was disappointed.

But somehow, it felt as though Lucian knew her better than she knew herself.

If she had been the one to choose, she would’ve picked somewhere new. A different activity. Something neither of them had experienced before.

She wouldn’t want to bore him, would she?

Lucian simply shrugged and glanced toward the opposite side of the cabin.

"You like amusement parks." His tone was casual. "Didn’t you use to keep a jar so you could save enough money to visit one?"

Ashley chuckled.

"I did." Her smile softened. "It felt impossible back then."

She laughed quietly.

"I kept calculating the entrance fee, and then someone would remind me that transportation costs money too." As she remembered a part of her past, her smile stretched wider.

But then, just another second later, her smile slowly faded.

A crease appeared between her brows. Confusion spread across her face.

Very slowly, she turned toward him.

"How did you know that?" Her voice came out almost as a whisper. "I don’t remember telling you."

Ashley had kept an old jar.

A dream jar.

Every spare coin she earned from odd jobs on the street went into it.

The street.

The brief period after she escaped the Di Carpios. The brief period she spent living among other street children.

It had been difficult.

BOOM!

Fireworks.

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