Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 361

ARIELLA

I held his gaze.

“I can’t survive without you,” I said again.

“You won’t have to,” he replied quietly. “I’m going to be okay. I’ll come back. I have to. You and Leon are waiting for me. I won’t break that promise.”

He lifted my chin gently so I had no choice but to look at him.

“I just need you to stay here,” he said softly. “For me. For Leon.”

I stared at him then, and I knew He was waiting.

Waiting for me to give in.

Waiting for me to trust him.

“…Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll stay.”

“Good,” he said softly.

Then he leaned down and kissed me. The kiss wasn’t soft, It wasn’t gentle. Asher kissed me like he was punishing me, like he was reminding me exactly who he was and exactly what I meant to him.

It wasn’t rushed. Not demanding. Just… deep. Like he was trying to say everything he couldn’t put into words. I held onto him, my fingers clutching his jacket even harder, not caring if I wrinkled it, not caring about anything except the way he was holding me tight, like letting go would cost him everything.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. We both took in deep breaths, like neither of us had been breathing at all.

“I’ll come back home,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t just words. It sounded like a promise.

I nodded, even as the knot in my chest tightened. If he didn’t want me there, then it meant it was dangerous, and I trusted his judgment.

“You better be back,” I whispered.

A small, tired smile touched his lips, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He stepped back slowly, as if it took effort to create distance between us.

“Stay with Leon,” he said. “Keep him busy and away from trouble. You know how he can get.”

“I will,” I replied.

He gave me one last look. Long and Careful. Like he was memorising me. Then he turned and walked toward the door. I stood there, listening to his footsteps fade down the hallway.

When they disappeared, I wrapped my arms around myself. Suddenly, I felt cold. The room felt different the moment he left. Too quiet. Too still. I stared at the door for a few seconds, half-hoping it would open again. That he would come back. That he would change his mind.

But I knew he wouldn’t. He was the don. He couldn’t be weak. He couldn’t even appear weak. There were things I wanted from him… things I wished he would do. But I also knew....They went against everything he was raised to be. Everything this life demanded of him.

I let out a slow breath and ran a hand through my hair before heading toward the bathroom.

“Get it together,” I muttered to myself. I had Leon to think about.

And Asher… Asher Romano was strong. He had been fighting wars for years. And he always came out on top. He was going to be fine.

If I reminded myself that enough times… Maybe it would start to feel true.

By the time I made my way downstairs, Leon was already in the kitchen, sitting at the table, swinging his legs as Margaret placed breakfast in front of him.

“Mom!” he said the moment he saw me.

“Hi, baby,” I said, kissing his forehead before taking a seat beside him.

“Where’s Dad?” he asked.

“He had to go to work early,” I said, keeping my voice light and normal. I didn't want Leon to pick up anything amiss from me.

Leon frowned slightly.

“Oh. He came to ask me to go running, but I don’t think he actually wanted to go running.”

“Can we start my lessons today?” he asked. “With Sia?”

I blinked, pulled out of my thoughts. Sia.... Right.

After everything, she had been pushed to the back of my mind.

“Maybe tomorrow,” I said gently. “We’ll invite her over for dinner first, remember? Get to know her a little more. And we haven’t even told her yet that she’s going to be your tutor.”

“Yay!” Leon said, nodding quickly. "She's going to come here and we will have dinner together? Will Dad be there? He hasn't met her yet but I just know he is going to really like her too."

"Calm down Leon. Uncle Luca will also be joining us for dinner, so it's going to be exciting."

"Yes mom. That's great news. Everyone is going to be there and I will get to introduce them all to Sia."

I laughed heartily. " Well baby, Sia is Luca's young sister and your father already knows Sia.... But it's going to be really nice to have them all here. What do you think?"

“Okay. But she’s really nice. I really like her.” he said with a huge smile.

I smiled faintly.

“I know you do.”

And as he kept talking about Sia, about how well he was going to do, about everything that felt normal, I realised something. This was what Asher was trying to protect.

This peace.

This moment.

Us.

Even if it meant walking into danger alone. And as much as I hated it… I understood. I had grown up in this life. My father had walked out the door every day, and we never knew if he would come back or come back bruised, bleeding, broken.

So I understood And all I could do now… Was pray. That Asher would come back to us. Just like he promised.