This Little Girl
Cady’s been in an abusive relationship for three years. Three years of being cheated on, hit, beat, broken, and sexually abused by her boyfriend, Mike. She was only a high school student, she couldn’t run away. With a mother who spent her whole life drinking, she couldn’t go to her for help. And with the boyfriend’s dad being a sheriff, she couldn’t run to the police. So after her eighteenth birthday, Cady runs 953 miles away to Florida, to be exact. She has to restart her life there. And as she settles in, and starts to find her place, she’s as guarded as ever. She knows Mike’s not the type to let go easily, so if he finds her she’s a goner. She can’t let anyone in fear of that person somehow being connected to him. In case that day comes, Cady trains. She refuses to be the little girl who was abused for all those years. But what happens when she starts to fall for her neighbor/martial arts trainer?
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
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