Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I went straight to my apartment.

It was small-just one tiny room divided into a kitchen, a cramped bathroom, a bedroom, and a barely-there sitting area. The walls were dull, the furniture mismatched, but it was home.

I prepared Leon’s soup first, making sure it was just the right temperature before heading out to Tracy’s place to get him.

When she opened the door, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ariella? I thought you wouldn’t be back until later tonight. Doesn’t your shift end at eight? What are you doing here?”

I forced a small smile. “Yeah… I just felt bad leaving Leon by himself.”

Tracy scoffed playfully. “He was with me, silly.”

“Yeah, I know. But he’s sick… and I just felt bad, so I asked to come back and take care of him.”

She shrugged. “Okay, that’s fine.”

Tracy and I were neighbours, but like most people in the city, we had separate lives. We were always working, always chasing money, always trying to survive. I was lucky she helped me watch Leon when she could— especially since she worked from home most of the time.

I handed her some money, but she hesitated. “Ariella, you don’t have to—”

“Just take it.”

Something in my face must have made her stop arguing because she sighed and accepted it. But I could feel her watching me, studying me, like she knew something was off.

She called out, “Leon’s asleep, though.”

My heart clenched.

“I gave him his medicine,” she continued, her voice softer. “His fever’s gone down a little. I tried to get him to drink the soup, but he was too tired. He’s sleeping now, and I don’t think we should wake him.”

I swallowed, nodding. “Okay.”

“I’ll bring him over when he wakes up.’

“Thanks.”

I turned and walked back to my apartment, my mind spinning.

When I stepped inside, I just stood there.

Frozen. I didn’t know what to do.

I remembered Asher’s words. ‘You have two hours to pack before someone comes for you.’

But that was before he knew about Leon. That was before I told him I had a son.

Does that change anything? Is he still coming? Is he not coming?

I closed the door and turned to Leon. He was still a bit out of it, but his fever had finally gone down, and that brought some peace to my chest.

I gently put him down on the bed, my hand brushing his forehead to check his temperature. His skin felt cooler now, a relief. But he was still hazy, murmuring softly to himself, not really seeing me.

“Would you like some water?” I asked.

He nodded weakly.

I helped him sip a little water, then fed him some fruits, even though he barely had the energy to chew, But he was a trooper. Once he finished, he fell back into a restful sleep, and I stayed there, by his side, lost in my thoughts.

I couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty.

The day passed and nobody knocked.

The next day, I waited. Still nothing.

By the third day, the thought came to me.

Run.

It seemed crazy. I shouldn’t.

He told me not to, but he had also warned me there would be someone at my door in two hours, but nothing had happened. No one came.

Leon was feeling better. In fact, he went back to school today. I didn’t have to go to work. The apartment was quiet, and I found myself staring at the door, wondering what was really stopping me from leaving.