Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 305

ARIELLA

I held Asher’s gaze, my eyebrows still raised, refusing to let him dodge behind humor or excuses. I smiled this time, soft, deliberate.

Asher’s smile faltered for just a second. It was brief, almost imperceptible, but I knew him well enough not to miss it. He swallowed, looking both uncomfortable and nervous.

“No,” he said carefully. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

I shifted slightly, lowering my voice. “Then why does it feel like you think you have?”

He exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. Up close, I could see the exhaustion etched into his eyes, the tension carved deep into his shoulders.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I…” He stopped himself. Then, more quietly, “Look, can we not do this here?” He motioned toward Leon.

I didn’t answer. Instead, he moved closer, crossing the small distance between us, careful not to wake our son. His voice dropped.

“I’m trying to keep you safe.”

A moment passed. Then another. For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Leon shifted in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent, and Asher’s face softened instantly. He brushed his thumb gently over Leon’s hair, reverent, protective.

“I missed him today,” Asher said before looking up at me. “I missed you,” he added.

“He missed you too,” I replied. “He wished you had been here today.”

“What did you do today?” Asher asked.

“William took us to the docks, and we had dinner outside. It was nice. Just wish you were here.”

Asher swallowed. “I’m glad,” he said, but regret threaded every word.

He reached for my hand. “Please come to bed,” he said quietly. “I can’t sleep there without you.”

For a second, I wanted to give him a snarky response. I had one ready. But the look in his eyes stopped me. Instead, I slipped off the bed. I kissed Leon’s face softly before walking out, leaving him sleeping peacefully behind me.

I walked toward our bedroom and went straight into the closet to change. When I came back, Asher was sitting on the bed, waiting.

“I’m sorry,” he said the moment our eyes met.

I studied him, and I didn’t like the look in his eyes. It wasn’t guilt.... But I couldn't tell what it was.

“Thanks for the flowers today, Asher,” I told him. “They were nice and beautiful, and I would have enjoyed them more if they weren’t a way to bribe me.”

His jaw tightened. “I didn’t give them to bribe you.”

“They looked like, I’m sorry I left you in bed all alone without a word again.”

Asher looked away. “I’m trying to keep you safe,” he said quietly.

I shook my head. “You don’t keep someone safe by locking them out. I am your wife now, Asher. I carry your burdens. I carry your problems. You can’t shut me out.”

My voice wavered despite my effort to keep it steady.

“It hurts me more than you know to know that you’re not sharing with me what you’re going through. And I keep wondering if it’s because you don’t trust me… if it’s because you don’t think I’m strong enough.”

“No. No, no, no, no, Ariella.....no,” he said quickly, standing. “Please don’t say that. Of course I trust you. Of course you’re strong. You are the strongest woman I have ever met.”

I reached for his hands, uncurling his fingers and threading mine through them.

"I can't lose control Ariella. Not now. Not with so much to lose." He confessed.

“You don’t have to control everything,” I said. “You just have to let me stand next to you while you try, let me share your burden.”

He opened his eyes then, and something shifted.

“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured.

I scoffed softly. “That’s not your decision to make.”

A corner of his mouth lifted, faint but genuine. “You’re one stubborn woman.”

“You married me,” I reminded him.

That earned me a quiet huff of a laugh. He leaned forward until his forehead rested against mine, his breath warm against my skin.

“I’m scared, Ariella. I don't remember being this scared before.” he admitted.

The words were barely audible, but they were everything.

I swallowed and pressed a kiss to his temple. “So am I. But we’re scared together, we are a team.”

He pulled me into his arms then, holding me like he needed the reminder that I was real. We lay back against the pillows, tangled together, the room quiet except for our breathing.

I hadn't asked him all the questions I wanted to and I hadn't gotten the answers I wanted but I knew it wasn't easy for him to admit what he did. For tonight, his confession and admittance was enough.