Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 247

247 /270

ASHER

Dinara didn’t answer. She just kept looking at me, shaking her head, trembling like a leaf in the storm.

“I need answers, Dinara,” I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “If what you’re saying means he raped you, then you’d better speak now. And if that’s the truth, know this....I don’t tolerate rapists in my family. Never have. Never will. I’ve killed plenty of them since I took power. Quietly, of course. But the rumors? They spread. They always spread. So if that’s what Dominic is, I want to know.”

That was when Dominic snapped.

“Dinara!” he barked, her name tearing out of him like a whipcrack.

His anger filled the room, but when she didn’t respond. When she kept her wide eyes locked on me instead of him, his voice shifted. Softer. Almost pleading.

“Dinara...”

This time, she turned to him. And I swear..... I didn’t know what passed between them in that moment. I didn’t know her that well, not really, nor the language they had built between stolen hours and forbidden sheets. But it was… fascinating. A great experience to watch them like this. To watch the bond between them surface. To see how much they could say without a single word. Their eyes spoke louder than their lips ever could.

And whatever he said with his gaze, whatever silent message he pressed into her soul, it must have worked.

Because when she finally turned back to me, her voice trembled, but it came out clear.

“No. He didn’t rape me,” she whispered. “But I didn’t want to, okay? I love you, Asher. I want to please you. You know how much I have been working to make this marriage. I wouldn’t give it up for nothing.”

"Really?" I was actually very impressed with her acting. Really curious.

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, if I hadn’t put the cameras and watched everything that was going on, she might have actually fooled me. She was that good. Such a great actress. A great manipulator. She played her part flawlessly.

“Yes, I was just lonely,” she said, voice trembling but trying to maintain control. “And he was here, and the first time that happened… we were just drinking....”

“So he took advantage of you?” I asked, watching Dominic shift uncomfortably.

“No, I’m not saying that,” she hurried to clarify, eyes flicking nervously toward him. “I’m just saying… I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been in the state of mind I was in. And it just happened… and is happening again. I’m not blaming Dominic, I’m not. But you need to understand, I didn’t want it to happen. I didn’t want it to happen. I… I love you, Asher.”

“You didn’t want it to happen… so you fucked him… repeatedly?” I asked, my voice sharp. She flinched.

“I didn’t…” she started, but she stopped mid-word.

She must have remembered the cameras. Every movement. Every glance. Every hesitation had been captured. That shut her up. She swallowed hard and finally realized there was no escape. Her expression shifted, a mixture of resignation and submission, as if she was accepting the end she had brought upon herself.

“What are you going to do to us?” she whispered. “What are you going to do to Dominic? You’re not going to kill him, right? He’s your brother… your only family.”