Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 422

ASHER

As soon as Leon disappeared, the room became quieter. I slipped my hands into my pockets.

“How is he doing?” I asked.

Sia’s face softened immediately.

“He’s doing great,” she said honestly. “Just as he said himself. If he keeps progressing like this, I’ll contact the school so he can sit for the exams with the others.”

“That’s great to hear,” I nodded.

And it really was. For all the chaos surrounding us lately, Leon was thriving. Perhaps because he was loved, or maybe because, despite everything, this house had become a home for him.

“Okay,” I said after a moment. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Then her expression softened slightly. “How is Ariella?” she asked quietly.

I paused for a second before answering honestly.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

She nodded slowly. I gave her a small smile before walking back out of the room. Straight back toward Ariella. I stopped by my office first, grabbed my laptop and the files I needed, and then carried everything back into our bedroom. I didn’t want her waking up and finding herself alone.

*

I don’t know what I expected would happen when Ariella finally woke up that evening.

Leon kept coming in and out of the room every couple of minutes just to check on his mother. He would quietly walk over to the bed, kiss her cheek gently, and then look at me seriously before reminding me again and again to call him the moment she woke up.

Like I would forget. Like there was anything in this world capable of pulling my attention away from her right now. Eventually, it was time for dinner and Leon left with Maria after making me promise one last time that I would call him if his mother opened her eyes.

Maria brought Ariella’s food upstairs later that evening, but of course, she was still sleeping. So I told her to keep it warm until she woke up. Then I had my own dinner sitting beside the bed, watching my wife sleep while feeling completely fucking useless.

That was the worst part. Not being able to fix this. Not being able to eliminate the problem in front of me. My entire life, every issue had a solution. Every threat could be removed and every enemy could disappear. But this? This was grief And grief wasn’t something I could shoot, threaten, or bury in the ground.

I couldn’t fix Ariella’s pain. And the helplessness of that feeling sat inside my chest like something heavy and poisonous.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify