Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 153

I nod, swallowing down the bitterness. “Okay… so what now? We just wait here until Leon comes? I thought you were going to get him.”

“Yeah, I’m not staying here,” he replies, turning toward the door.

“You’re leaving me here?” I ask, glancing around the cold, uninviting apartment.

He tilts his head with a mocking smile. “Wow. Do I hear disgust in your voice?”

“It’s not disgust,” I mutter. “This place just… gives me the creeps.”

“Hmm,” he says, amused. “ Yes. I am Leaving you here alone. Alone-alone, yes.”

I blink at him. “Wait... really? Like, no one else here?”

“Yes, Ariella,” he says, clearly enjoying this. “And I’m starting to wonder why you think this place is beneath you. Compared to where I found you, this is an upgrade.”

“Maybe it was,” I admit quietly. “But there were families there. It felt safe. I don’t know this place.”

“Asher’s really spoiled you, huh?” Luca says. “Messed with your head. Now you think you’re royalty.”

“Just stop it, Luca,” I snap. “Just answer the question, are you really leaving me here alone?”

“Yes,” he says without hesitation, now moving through the room, opening cabinets like he’s checking for something. “No guards. No backup.”

“What are you even looking for?” I ask as he moves toward the hallway.

“Nothing,” he says.

I stare after him, panic crawling in my chest. “Wait! You’re seriously leaving me here alone?” I shout.

He returns, arms crossed. “Yes, Ariella. Go wild. Do whatever you want. Run away. Isn’t that what you wanted? To get away from Asher? To escape all that luxury? That gilded cage where you had everything handed to you? This is your chance.”

His words hit something. A nerve. But still… something doesn’t sit right.

He’s watching me now, almost expectantly, like he’s waiting for something to click.

“You didn’t leave Leon behind because of Alex,” I continue, staring at him. “You left him because of me.”

Luca plays dumb, folding his arms. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” I say, quieter now. “You knew you were going to bring me here. You knew you couldn’t leave Leon with me, because if I had him, I’d run. I’d take him and go. But without him…”

I pause, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“…Without him, I can’t.”

He doesn’t confirm it, but he doesn’t deny it either. Just looks away, almost bored now.

And I realize again that I’m always two steps behind these people. That they don’t trust me. That they’re always thinking ahead, planning around my every move. Like I’m some woman that needs constant watching.

I feel tired. So tired and betrayed.

Not just by Luca… but by the way they all pretend it’s for my own good.