Carlie had drawn a picture of their family and added a heart on Alex’s arm. When Ashton asked about it, Carlie giggled and told her that Alex was hiding a tattoo. A tattoo? Ashton was stunned. Carlie explained that she had seen Alex lifting his shirt in the bathroom and noticed the tattoo—a message written in her grandmother’s handwriting:
“My mommy Angela is my only love forever.”Angela was Alex’s mother—the woman who had never accepted Ashton and whose constant presence had always loomed over their marriage. Ashton’s heart sank. How could Alex get a tattoo declaring his mother as his only love? Why had he hidden it so carefully? Why the secrecy? hat night, Ashton confronted Alex gently. He finally confessed that the tattoo was real and that Angela had told him she was seriously ill—dying even—and had asked for this permanent symbol of her love as a way to hold on.
Alex said he didn’t want to break Carlie’s or Angela’s hearts, so he agreed.But when Ashton visited Angela, she was healthy, vibrant, even manipulative. She admitted the tattoo was about control, a cruel reminder that she was the most important person in Alex’s life, and Ashton was second best. The betrayal cut deep. Ashton realized that while she had been trying to keep the peace, shielding herself behind silence and apologies, Angela had been manipulating them all along.In response, Ashton took back her power. She designed her own tattoo, a message for herself: “Self-respect, my only love forever.”
It was a declaration, a rebirth. When Alex saw Ashton’s new tattoo, he admitted he regretted his own—how it felt heavy and childish, a mistake born of fear and manipulation. He considered covering it up, but Ashton knew the real battle was for him to stand up to his mother and reclaim his own life. As for Carlie, she brought light to the darkness, joking about covering Alex’s tattoo with a giant giraffe named Larry—an innocent reminder that love could grow in unexpected ways, even after hurt. That summer, amidst the heat and tension, Ashton rediscovered herself. No longer hidden beneath long sleeves or shadows, she found strength in her own skin and in her love for herself.