Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 172

But then her entire body tensed.

Her eyes widened. Panic crept into her voice.

“Oh my God. Alan.”

She gripped the edge of the counter.

“Oh fuck, Alan. Does he know I left with David? Does he know what happened?” Dana repeated, her eyes wide, full-on panic now replacing her earlier exhaustion.

I stepped in, placing both hands on her arms to steady her. “Dana, breathe. I don’t think Alan knows. At least not all of it.”

She shook her head, pulling away from me to pace the length of the kitchen again, fingers tugging at her already-messy hair. “No, you don’t understand. Alan knows things. He notices. And if David told him, or even hinted....”

“He didn’t,” I cut in gently. “At least, he didn’t say anything last night.”

Her eyes narrowed, sceptical. “You’re sure?”

I nodded. “When I got back from the bathroom, Alan was alone at the booth. He said David called him and told him that you guys left, but that was it. No details.”

She stopped pacing. “He didn’t ask where we went?”

“No. He just said David told him you left. Honestly, Alan seemed more tired than suspicious. He wanted to go home. That was it.”

Dana pressed her lips together and slowly sank onto one of the kitchen stools, her hands trembling slightly as they rested on the counter.

“God, I feel like such a mess.”

“You’re not a mess,” I said, walking over to sit across from her. “You’re human. You’re allowed to feel things you didn’t plan for.”

Her eyes glistened, but she blinked the tears away quickly. “It’s not even about feelings, Monique. It’s about responsibility. I’m a mother. I don’t get to fall into old patterns....”

I nodded slowly. “But last night didn’t feel like chaos to you, did it?”

Her eyes finally met mine. Honest. Raw. “No. It felt… good. It felt like something I hadn’t had in a long time. And that’s why I’m freaking out. Because I don’t trust it.”

I didn’t have the answer to that. I wasn’t sure anyone did. So I just reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. “Whatever happens next, I’ve got you. And no one is going to judge you here. Especially not me.”

Dana looked down at our hands and then back up. “Thank you,” she whispered. "Because I have to ask you for a favour."

“What kind of favour?” I asked slowly, already sensing this was deeper than I thought.

“You don’t know Alan,” Dana said, her voice low and urgent. “He cannot know. You don’t understand the bond between Alan and David. David and I... we can’t be. We can’t happen. And I don’t want Alan to know anything, Monique.”

“Okay…” I replied cautiously. “But I still don’t get how you want me to help.”

“You need to cover for me,” she said quickly.

“Cover how?” I asked.

“Did he come inside with you yesterday? Did he know I wasn’t here in the house?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He just made sure I was inside, then he went back home.”

“Okay. That’s good,” she muttered, mostly to herself. “So, I’ll just say that we came back. David dropped me off. Rosie was asleep and I didn’t want to wake her, so I stayed and waited for you guys. And then when you came back, you found me already here asleep on the couch.”

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