Fighting My Way Back

If every scar tells a story… mine is about surviving. After a brutal attack at college, I return home to heal over the summer. Enter Silas: a former MMA champion with a scowl as permanent as his tattoos. Taking self-defense lessons from him feels like a step in the right direction. With every training session, our bond strengthens, turning pain into passion and doubt into self-confidence. Before long, our self-control unravels and we cross lines we shouldn't. Yet my emotional wounds linger longer than the physical ones. How can I move beyond my tragic past to embrace the future I deserve? Features the following tropes: age gap, grumpy cinnamon roll hero, mature beyond her year heroine, hurt/comfort, slow burn, forced proximity.