Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 261

ASHER

I swallowed, feeling the weight of her gaze. The truth was simple, but the words felt fragile on my tongue. Everything I had done, everything I had fought through just to be here, it all came down to this one moment, this conversation, right here in the quiet of the night, just the two of us.

But I also felt the weight of what I’d done, telling her that her dad had died, revealing the truth about his death. How could I even ask her about anything else when she was already mourning? It felt like I had thrown a shadow over this whole conversation before it could even begin.

So I chose another path.

“What if…” I started, forcing a small, teasing smile, “…I just missed you, and I couldn’t stay further away from you?”

Her attention snapped fully to me, her eyes serious, searching.

“I know you, Asher,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “And I know how focused you can be when you’re fighting for something. I know you want to be with me and Leon. So I know you wouldn’t just stop… wouldn’t just put punches on your plan… just because you miss us.”

Her gaze pierced me. “You already get details about us every single moment of the day. You know what we do, twenty-four hours a day. So tell me the truth, Asher.” She paused, studying me closely. “What is it? Because I can see you’re still hesitating. I know there’s something else.”

The room felt smaller, tighter. I could feel her heartbeat through the mattress, steady and insistent, a reminder of everything I had fought to come back to. And I knew, I couldn’t lie to her. Not now. Not ever. I drew in a slow breath, feeling my chest tighten.

“There is something else,” I admitted quietly. “Something I wasn’t sure how to tell you.....”

“Just tell me whatever it is,” Ariella said, her voice low, steady. “I can take it. What is it?”

I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck. “I need to ask you something,” I admitted, “and I don’t think right now is the appropriate time to start asking you questions like that… so why don’t we just forget about it?”

Her brows drew together, sharp, challenging. “Here you are again,” she said quietly, “thinking you can still make decisions for me. Just ask me. What is it?”

Her words hit me hard, leaving no room to hide.

“I was with your mother,” I said finally, my voice careful, deliberate.

Her eyes narrowed, warning me. “Right... Okay?"

I nodded, swallowing. “I..... I actually went to see her because Luca paid me a visit.”

“Oh.” She breathed out the word, soft but sharp, like a note of music.

Her brows lifted higher, her body shifting. She made a move, just slightly pulling away from me.

“Okay?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. Then she took a deep breath, bracing herself.

I didn’t know why, but the way she was sitting there, the blanket clutched around her, her body taut and still, it was almost as if she was waiting for bad news. Like she already knew what I was going to say next.

But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Could she?

My thoughts tangled, confused. Luca and Ariella.... they had been close. Maybe she did know. Maybe she had always known.

No. I shook my head slightly, trying to chase that thought away. This wasn’t the time to spiral.

“Anyway,” I said, my voice rougher than before, “Luca came to me with this marriage agreement.”

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