The Scars We Carry

She didn't think she could ever trust a man again.

After escaping five years of abuse, Mary Wilson is done with love. All she wants is to raise her son Samuel in peace. To forget the bruises, the terror, the man who stole her youth. But peace doesn't come easily, and neither does forgetting.

She meets Lucas, a kind, clumsy, utterly persistent young man who makes her laugh when she thought she'd forgotten how. He's patient and gentle. He's everything her husband wasn't. But Lucas carries his own wounds-a childhood spent in an orphanage, a heart that's been broken before, and a desperate need to be enough for someone.

And then there's Zane. Quiet, Watchful and Intense. He doesn't try to charm her. He just... sees her. In ways that make her feel exposed and safe all at once. But Zane is carrying secrets too. A past that taught him to protect everyone but himself, and a longing he refuses to name.

Meanwhile, Eula has loved Lucas for years. She's watched him chase every pretty face in town, waiting for him to notice the woman standing right in front of him. But when Mary arrives, Eula is forced to confront the painful truth: she may never be enough for a man who doesn't see her.

Mary knows better than anyone that love can be a mask. And the more both men draw her in, the more she fears the truth: that she may have escaped Richard, but she hasn't escaped the damage he left behind.

In a story where everyone is running from something and everyone is searching for the same thing. Mary, Lucas, Zane, and Eula must each learn that healing isn't linear, love isn't simple, and the people we least expect might be the ones we need the most.

!!!Disclaimer:

This story contains depictions of domestic discipline, including spanking scenes between consenting adults. It also contains references to domestic abuse and violence. Reader discretion is advised.