Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 241

ARIELLA

Asher laughed softly, a brief, bittersweet sound, and placed his hand on my cheek, brushing it gently in that way he sometimes did, like one would comfort a child who is blissfully unaware of the dangers of the world.

“I want you to know,” he continued, his eyes glinting with that familiar edge of determination, “even if I don’t come back, Luca will always look after you. He knows how much you mean to me, he knows how much Leon means to me, and he knows that the moment I fall, all he has to do is take care of you and Leon and make sure you disappear...”

“You will come back, Asher,” I said firmly, letting every ounce of belief in my heart echo in my voice. “Stop talking like that. Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’ll come back to me.”

He looked at me for a long moment, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly, and then he smiled.

"I wish what you were saying were true," he whispered, "I wish that was my reality… but it’s not."

"No," I shook my head quickly, refusing to let his words take root. "Don’t say that. It can’t be."

But Asher only sighed, his eyes heavy with the weight of a truth I didn’t want to face.

"None of the Romano men have ever seen their great-grandchildren," he said quietly, almost like a confession.

My throat ached, but I forced hope into my voice.

"Maybe then it’ll be us. Maybe you’ll be the first Romano to break the cycle. And then Leon will get to see his great-great-grandkids too."

For a moment, silence settled between us. He looked at me then, long, unblinking, serious in a way that cut deep. And then he said the words that shattered me.

"I wish I weren’t born in this world. I wish that I could up and just disappear."

The air left my lungs. At that moment, I felt it. Every word. Every drop of truth that bled from his lips. Somehow, I knew he meant it, that deep down, he wished it with everything in him.

But I was absolutely determined, determined to never let that wish become reality.

"Because once you’re born in blood, you’re bound in blood. There’s no getting out. There’s no resigning. It’s for life," he finished.

My gaze drifted, unbidden, to Leon. My son. Asher’s son. His small chest rose and fell as he slept, innocent, unaware of the legacy he carried. The blood that ran in Asher’s veins was the same blood running through Leon’s. And no matter how much I wanted to shield him, there was no escaping it.

Leon stirred a little in his sleep, a small sound escaping his lips, as if he somehow felt the heaviness in the air. My chest ached watching him, this perfect little boy who had no idea the life he was born into, no idea of the shadows that followed his name.

"Asher," I whispered, my voice trembling but steady with conviction. "Look at him. Look at our son. He’s not just blood. He’s hope. He’s proof that something good can come out of this world. And I don’t care what your family’s history says, or what curses you think are written into your bloodline. I will fight with everything I am to make sure Leon gets to live a life beyond all this."

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