Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

I was pregnant.

I was holding the pregnancy test in my hand, staring at it like it might change.

I was pregnant with Asher’s baby. My plan had come to fruition.

I was finally going to be with him, just like it was supposed to be in the beginning. No more obstacles. No more waiting. This was our future. Our family.

I couldn’t stop smiling.

I wanted to run to Asher, tell him everything, let the joy explode between us-but I knew it had to wait. There was something I had to do first. Something that mattered just as much.

I slipped the pregnancy test into the pocket of my jeans, took a moment to breathe, and walked down the

stairs.

Mom and Dad were in the living room.

Dad was reading, Mom was watching TV, and her arms folded across her chest.

I stepped inside, and I couldn’t hide it-the happiness lit up my face like sunlight. Mom noticed first. Her eyes snapped to mine, narrowing. She slapped her hand against Dad’s arm and then nudged him harder. They both turned toward me.

“What is it, Ariella?” she asked cautiously. “What’s going on?”

“Can I talk to you?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” my dad said, closing the book and setting it aside. He straightened up, alert now.

Mom muted the TV. Their full attention was on me.

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to tiptoe around this. I had no shame. I was proud. I was glowing with

“I’m pregnant,” I said.

They both froze.

Silence wrapped around us like a suffocating blanket.

My mom reacted first.

“Ariella,” she said, slowly, as if tasting the words. “What did you… Can you repeat that?”

“I said I’m pregnant, Mom.”

“You’re pregnant?” she repeated, blinking, her voice rising. She shook her head and turned to Dad, looking for something-an answer, an explanation, maybe a rescue.

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Dad was still frozen. Staring.

“What is going on?” Mom demanded. “What the hell is going on?”

She was talking to me, but her eyes kept darting to my father.

“It’s Asher’s,” I said clearly, firmly. “The pregnancy belongs to Asher, he is the father.”

Just in case they had other ideas. Just in case they thought I’d be stupid enough to do this with anyone else.

I had on that happy smile as I looked at both of them. I couldn’t help it. This was the beginning of everything I had ever wanted.

But my mom was the first to break.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, clutching her chest like her heart had just cracked in half. Then-just like that-she started sobbing.

Full, blown-out crying.

I had never seen my mom cry before. Not like this. She always pretended to cry-those elegant, composed tears that made her look fragile but flawless. This wasn’t that. She was bawling. Red-faced. Guttural.

And I just stood there. I knew why she was acting this way.

Because I was supposed to marry the Don. But she didn’t need to worry. I didn’t need to worry.

This was Asher’s baby. Asher loved me and he would protect us all.

Now, I was going to be with him-like it was always meant to be.

As my mom cried, I took the moment to speak. My father still hadn’t said a word. He was just… staring at me. Confused. Like his brain couldn’t process what I had said.

So I knew I had to make it clear. Make him understand.

“This baby is Asher’s,” I said, calmly. “And since I’m carrying Asher’s baby, it means that the Don can’t

marry me anymore.”

Mom let out another broken sob, but I pressed on.

“Because this baby belongs to Asher. And once Asher knows, once he finds out I’m having his baby- he’ll want to be in this baby’s life. We’ll want to be together. We’ll be a family. We’ll get married. And we’ll raise our baby together.”

I glanced at my father, hoping the words were finally reaching him.

“I’m sure the Don doesn’t want to marry someone who isn’t a virgin,” I added, with an awkward little laugh. “Or someone pregnant. Especially not pregnant with another man’s child. Especially not his son’s

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child.”

I nodded as if confirming everything to myself.

“So this solves everything. Just tell the Don the truth: that Asher and I–we’re dating. We’re in love. We slept together. And I’m pregnant with his son’s baby. So he’s going to have to find someone else to marry.”

I shrugged.

“He still has another son. He can give Axel Romano that Russian princess or whatever. But me and Asher

”

I placed my hands gently over my stomach-still flat,

“We’re having a family. We’re getting married and no one can stand in our way now,” I said, proud and sure like I had finally taken.control of my own story.

But my mom-oh, my mom-she just fell apart harder.

She clutched my dad’s hand like it was the only thing keeping her alive, and through her choked sobs, she gasped out the words between gasps of air.

“She just killed us,” she cried “She just killed us all.”

She was clutching her heart like it was breaking open in real time, tears streaming down her face, her whole body shaking.

Honestly? She was being so overdramatic.

She acted like I’d brought the apocalypse into the living room instead of telling them I was pregnant with the baby of the man I loved.

The right man. Not the old one they tried to hand me over to.

I turned my attention to my father..

“Dad…” I said, quietly, waiting for his reaction. But he didn’t say anything. Not a word. Just sat there, staring at me with that unreadable look on his face.

“Dad, come on,” I said, trying to coax something out of him, anything. “This is a good idea. I did this for us. For me and Asher. For love”

I took a step closer.

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