Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 248

ASHER

I tore my thoughts away from Dinara and Dominic as I got myself ready for bed, took a shower, and tried to relax. But no matter what I did, all I could think about was Ariella and my son, Leon.

The guilt never left me. It clung to me, heavy, suffocating. I still couldn’t shake the memory of everything I had put her through. I know she told me not to think about it, that it didn’t matter, that she doesn’t even see it anymore… but I see it. I know what I did. And I know that as I did it then, she must have been hurting.....silently, painfully.

How did she endure it? How did she go through all of that without breaking?

Why didn’t she say anything?

The thought almost escaped my mouth, but I stopped myself. Because after all she had done, after all the love she had given me despite my cruelty, how could I dare? How could I look her in the eye and demand answers when I was the reason she stayed silent?

And then there was Luca.

The way he came to me, his voice low, deliberate, telling me that Ariella was lying about Leon. I didn’t even want to hear him. He said he had evidence. He said he would show me when we returned home. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t even curious to know what proof he thought he had. I didn’t want to hear another word.

Leon was my son. That was enough for me.

All I cared about, all I could focus on, was finding a way back to them. To the woman I loved. To the boy who carried my name, my blood, my future.

That was my only priority now. To find a way to get them here with me without putting their lives in danger.

******

The next day, I went to meet Luca so we could catch up. Since I had taken a few days to myself to be with my family, there were things that needed to be kept in check. We went over business, handled what we had to, and when we were done, we moved to the bar for a few drinks.

That’s when Luca began.

“I’m telling you, Asher, I have a very, very bad feeling about Dinara and Dominic,” he insisted.

I set my glass down with a heavy sigh. “Would you stop with them? They’re the last thing on my mind right now.”

“Really?” he said, giving me a skeptical look. “But I thought you said you wanted to be with Ariella. How would that even work?”

“Well, it's going to work perfectly,” I told him, leaning back in my chair with a confidence I didn’t fully feel. “I already have the right plan. It’s already proven that Dinara and Dominic are together and won't stop any time soon. I’ve tolerated their relationship long enough. Now it’s time she also tolerates mine.”

His brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”

“I’m thinking about bringing Ariella and Leon to live at the house.”

Luca nearly choked. He spat his drink out and stared at me as if I had lost my mind.

“Are you serious?”

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