When the fear of isolation pulls Ashton and Ria together, nothing can prepare them for the collision. An anomaly shatters the repetitive fabric of their lives, sending them on a journey of discovering themselves and one another.
Beneath Ashton's gen...
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"MOM," Ashton hisses, "don't start this shit."
His gaze darts to Ria as she fixes him with a stare devoid of emotion, a look that's starting to scare him. As if she hasn't gone through enough hell with Brandon, he's got the devil in disguise standing before them as his mother.
Charlotte scowls up at him and flicks her wrist. "Well, is this the newest one?" She waves a vague hand towards Ria.
This?
Ria doesn't speak. Instead, she grips Ashton's hand and stands partially behind him.
"She's my girlfriend. But I really need you to-"
"Girlfriend?" Her nostrils flare and voice heightens. "Her? She looks like someone poor off the streets. Are you taking in homeless people now?"
"Mom," Ashton snaps.
Ria's small hand gives his the lightest squeeze. Her shoulders are so tense they could be suffocating her, and her cherry lips are pursed into a tight line. Either she still can't speak or she has no idea how to react to Charlotte.
"Her name is Ria. Ria DeVoure and she-"
"French?" Charlotte demands almost accusingly.
"She's Italian, but her father is French," he explains.
"Cosa vuoi con mio figlio?" Charlotte taps her foot; the tip steadily clacks against the hardwood.
Since when did she speak Italian? He gapes at his mom, unsure of what she just asked Ria.
"What? Can't even speak your own language?" she sneers.
"Please leave her alone," Ashton groans. "What do you need?"
"How do you know she isn't after your money like every other whore you've been with?"
Ria's tightening grip feeds his anger.
"Charlotte, you need to stop."
Hard eyes dart to him. Annoyance practically steams from the top of her white-blonde hair. She presses her lips into a harsh line, probably thinking up an insult to throw at him. She hates when he calls her by her first name.
Her gaze slides back to Ria. "You look like a violent woman," she remarks over her nose. "You have bruises all over you. Did you fight someone?"
"Stop!" Ashton yells.
Startled, Charlotte jerks her head back. "Wha-"
"You're being rude. Ria is my girlfriend and you haven't even given her a chance to say anything. Also, she was attacked yesterday by...by someone who's been stalking her."
