Written in our scars | JJ maybank

Valentina knight didn't believe in second chances-because life never gave her one.

After a string of foster homes due to her abusive father, late-night police station visits, and scars that ran deeper than anyone could see, she finally landed in the Outer Banks. Not by choice. Not for the sun or the surf. Just another forced move, another temporary place where she could lay low, keep her head down, and stay invisible until she turned eighteen and got the hell out.

But trouble had a way of finding her-and this time, it wore a smug smirk, a muscle tee and a backwards cap.

"Who the hell are you?" Jj Maybank asked, voice laced with mockery as he looked her up and down like she was a bad decision waiting to happen.

Valentina crossed her arms. "Who the hell cares?"

From the second they met, it was war. JJ was the kind of guy she hated: loud, arrogant, cocky to a fault. He laughed too easily, flirted with everything that moved, and acted like nothing in the world could touch him.

She saw right through it.

And JJ? He hated valentina because she didn't fall for his charm. She challenged him, called him out, got under his skin in a way no one else dared. She reminded him too much of himself-angry, reckless, and always ready to burn everything down just to feel something.

But even enemies get tired of fighting.

And when a storm comes-real or emotional-sometimes the only person who understands your chaos is someone just as broken.