Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 425

ASHER

"I think... yeah. I mean, I guess someone who can help me deal with this. Give me ways to deal with this." Ariella explained herself.

I tightened my hold on her hands.

"I'm here."

She looked at me.

"Nobody deserves your thoughts. Nobody deserves your truth. Nobody deserves you more than Leon and I do."

I squeezed her hands gently.

"We are your family. And everything in this family is ours."

I shook my head.

"Nobody outside the three of us deserves to know anything that goes on in here." I pointed to my head. "Any moment of our thoughts. What we're going through.... Are ours."

She swallowed thickly.

"There is a therapist in the family. But none of them deserves your pain or your struggles."

She blinked.

"They're humans just like any other humans are," I continued. "And I don't want them in your head. I don't."

I held her gaze. "When I have a problem, I come to you." My thumb brushed across her knuckles. "You have a problem, you come to me..... That's how we deal with things."

I held her gaze before saying,

"I am here."

I gave her hands another squeeze.

"You can talk my ear off."

A small smile finally appeared on her face. It was weak and Broken. But at least it was real this time. It felt like the first real smile I had seen from her in days.

"You know what?" I said, after a few seconds of silence. "I think we should start going on the morning runs together as a family. Starting tomorrow."

"No, no, no, no, no," she said quickly, shaking her head.

I laughed.

"Trust me."

She groaned immediately.

"Asher."

"Trust me," I repeated. "It will make you feel better about everything."

She looked completely unconvinced. Which only made me smile more.

"I know you hate working out...... But trust me." I leaned forward.

"I want you to know, that we are going to be just fine."

And then I pulled her into my arms again.

******

ARIELLA

Asher stayed home the whole day. He wouldn't leave my side and followed me absolutely everywhere. Everywhere.....Even to the bathroom.

That, I guess, was because he thought I was hiding alcohol in there or something. But I wasn't an alcoholic and I did not have an addiction, he had nothing to be worried about.

But that's Asher for you. Once he gets an idea into his head, that's it. There is no changing it. So he followed me around the entire house like a giant, overprotective shadow.

The funny thing was that Leon eventually started following us too. Which meant I had two Romanos attached to me at all times. At one point, Asher finally stopped and looked down at Leon.

"Leon, where are you going?"

"I'm following Mommy."

"Stop following us."

Leon immediately frowned.

"That's my mom."

"Yes," Asher agreed. "And you've been following her everywhere. Why?"

"I should be the one following her everywhere. I'm her son."

"Yes, you are," Asher said calmly. "And I'm her husband."

Leon gasped dramatically. I laughed harder this time.

Asher rolled his eyes.

"He's going to leave you one day."

"No, I won't." Leon quickly responded.

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will."

"Never."

The two of them continued bickering as we walked through the house, and honestly? I couldn't even take the amount of love anymore.

Yesterday I felt completely alone. Now I couldn't even get a glass of water without having a husband and son escorting me there. It was ridiculous And somehow exactly what I needed.

*

I don't know what happened to me over those few days to be honest. Everything had simply become too much all at once.

The funeral.

My father.

My mother.

The grief.

The memories.

All of it hit me at the same time And I found myself looking for an outlet. The wrong outlet, I know that now. Everything Asher said to me was true. I had chosen the wrong path. Something I shouldn't have done. Something that would have only made everything worse.

And despite how annoying he was being, I was grateful because he didn't judge me and He didn't yell at me. He just stayed. He encouraged me to talk, encouraged me to tell him when things hurt And somehow, he even convinced me to start running with him and Leon.

Which was honestly the worst idea anyone has ever had. Ever. I hate running, I hate exercise and I hate sweating. I hate all forms of physical activity that don't involve sitting down afterwards. Unfortunately, my husband and son seemed to think running was fun. Psychopaths.

The first morning they dragged me outside, I managed a few steps, A few. Then I got tired, then I got more tired, then I got exhausted and then I informed them I was done. Completely done.

I sat down right there on the ground. Refused to move and refused to participate in whatever insanity they called exercise. Asher and Leon looked at me as if I were crazy, and I looked right back at them.