ANMELDENChapter 81Frederick took a slow, heavy step forward.Riley didn't wait for him to speak. She turned on her heel and walked back toward the soundstage doors, her face set into a cool mask. She had nothing left to say to him."Riley...wait!" His voice was hoarse, stripped of the booming authority it used to carry. Before she could reach the heavy metal handle, his fingers snagged the sleeve of her coat.She yanked her arm back instantly, spinning around with a sharp look that made him recoil as if he’d been burned. "Don't touch me."His hands hovered in the air before dropping limply to his sides. He looked hollowed out...the sharp, arrogant lines of his face collapsed into deep, exhausted folds."I... I just wanted to see you," he said, his voice unsteady. "How are you doing?""I'm fine," Riley said evenly, her tone flat enough to leave a message."And Iris?" He swallowed hard, his bloodshot eyes searching her face. "How is she?""She's fine, Frederick." He shifted his weight, his g
Chapter 80Riley looked at Ashton, her heart swelling at the sincerity in his eyes, but she gave a small, gentle shake of her head."Ashton," she said softly, reaching down to squeeze his hands tightly instead of kissing him, hyper-aware of Iris sitting right beside them, watching through a mouthful of pancakes. "We can't just move in. I have my own place, and Iris needs a bit of consistency right now after everything she's been through."Ashton’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face before settling into something warm and understanding. He returned the squeeze of her fingers, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand. "Riley, you know there's more than enough room here for both of you. You don't ever have to worry about anything again.""I know," she murmured, leaning into his side just enough so their shoulders touched. "And I love what you’ve built for us here...it means more than I can ever say. But we're not ready to com
Chapter 79Ashton’s grip loosened slowly, his hands sliding down to rest lightly on Riley's hips, though he didn't step back entirely. Heat bloomed up her neck, creeping all the way to her cheeks as she tried to smooth her tangled hair with one hand.Iris blinked up at them, her sleepy gaze moving from Ashton’s bare chest to her mother’s flushed face again, before settling back on the way his arms were wrapped around Riley's waist."Why are you running?" She asked, her voice raspy from sleep.Ashton cleared his throat, adjusting his stance to step beside Riley while keeping a subtle, grounding hand on the small of her back. "We were... working on your mom new movie." Iris looked down at their bare feet, then back up, her brow furrowing with absolute, unbothered ten-year-old suspicion. "In your pyjamas?""I'm just helping her play a role so she'll be able to be a superstar." Ashton said smoothly, without a single flicker of hesitation. "Are you hungry?" That immediately caught her
Chapter 78By the time Riley woke up the next morning, she found herself tightly wrapped around Ashton's arm.A big smile appeared on her face as memories of last night flooded her mind.The previous night was perfect...Ashton hadn't let her sleep a wink. His hands didn't leave her thick thighs, he was completely obsessed with her body. He wouldn't stop kissing her and telling her how obsessed he was with her until every single doubt she had simply disappeared.She felt him move beside her, and she closed her eyes immediately. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt self-conscious."Good morning, sweetheart," she heard him say softly.He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then her lips. His hand moved over her body again, sending a warm spark straight through her that turned her on immediately.She let out a soft moan that she hadn't planned.A light laugh escaped his chest, and that was when she realized he had done that on purpose...he knew she wasn't actually sleeping.She hi
Chapter 77The kiss didn’t carry the desperate, sharp hunger of their first one on the sofa. It was slow, deliberate, and so heavy that Riley felt her knees go soft the second his lips touched hers.Ashton’s hand moved from her forehead to cup the side of her neck, his thumb tracing the quick, erratic jump of her pulse. He stepped forward, pushing her gently backward into the room, and used his foot to nudge the bedroom door shut until the latch clicked softly into place, sealing them in the warm, dim space.Riley reached up, her fingers sliding into the collar of his shirt, tugging him closer until there wasn't a breath of air between them. Ashton let out a low, rough exhale against her mouth, his other arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.When he finally pulled back to catch his breath, his forehead rested against hers, his eyes dark and burning with an intensity that made her skin prickle."Riley," he whispered, his voice thick, gravelly, and barely
Chapter 76Ashton pulled back at once, clearing his throat, though the smile didn't fully leave his face. "No, sweetheart," he called up the stairs, his voice warm and easy again. "We're not fighting. Come on down."Iris appeared a moment later at the top of the stairs, hair mussed from her nap, dragging her blanket behind her like a cape. She squinted down at them both with the particular suspicion of a child who'd caught the tail end of something she didn't fully understand."You sure?" she asked. "Your voices sounded serious.""Just grown-up talk," Riley said, holding out her arms. "Come here."Iris padded down the stairs and climbed straight into her lap, still half-wrapped in her blanket, burrowing into Riley's shoulder with a yawn. "Can we stay for dinner?" She mumbled into Riley's collarbone. "I want to see the kitchen work. Uncle Ashton said he'd teach me how to make pasta from scratch.""Did he now," Riley said, glancing over at him."I did say that," Ashton admitted, alrea
Chapter 2The silence that followed his words wasn’t just quiet; it was deafening. It felt as though the air had been entirely sucked out of the room, leaving Riley gasping. Her mind spun violently as she tried to process the horrible words that had just left Fredrick’s mouth.Bastard child.“Say
Chapter 1“Mom, are you really sure he’s going to show up?” Iris’s voice had a hollow, heavy ache that no ten-year-old should ever have to carry. As Riley ran the brush through her daughter's dark curls, the strands slipped from her fingers. Today was Iris's golden birthday, a day that should ha
Chapter 5Riley didn't hesitate. The woman who had fiercely slapped him the night before disappeared under the crushing weight of a mother’s desperation. Slowly, agonizingly, she lowered her battered, aching body onto the gravel driveway, her knees digging into the sharp stones right beside his dr
Chapter 4The heavy smell of cheap disinfectant, sweat, and old plastic chairs filled the crowded emergency room waiting area. It was completely different from the freezing, rainy night Riley had just escaped.The nurses had rushed Iris through a set of double doors into a separate treatment room t







