Damaged Love

Damaged Love Cape Cove book 2 Harper Monroe Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Harper Monroe ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Cover content is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the content is a model. All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Harper Monroe. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without premising from Harper Monroe. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 ( http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/ ). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Design: Harper Monroe Cover Model: Rick Halstead Photographer: Randy and Michelle Sewell with RLS Photography Editing: Erica Rodgers with Logophile Editing Services Formatting: Melissa Smith - Homestead Book Services Contents Dedication Author Note Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven 1. Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve 2. Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two 3. Chapter Twenty-Three 4. Chapter Twenty-Four 5. Chapter Twenty-Five 6. Chapter Twenty-Six 7. Chapter Twenty-Seven 8. Chapter Twenty-Eight 9. Chapter Twenty-Nine 10. Chapter Thirty 11. Chapter Thirty-One 12. Chapter Thirty-Two 13. Chapter Thirty-Three Epilogue Sneak Peak Playlist Acknowledgments About the Author Dedication To everyone trying to find their strength and happiness. Butterflies cannot see their wings. But the rest of the world can. You. You are beautiful and while you may not see it, we can. -Unknown- Author Note If you have triggers please read my list of trigger warnings before moving forward. Some of the contents in this book will be hard to read, so please be cautious. If you don’t have triggers, happy reading! TRIGGER WARNINGS SELF-HARM EATING DISORDER BODY DYSMORPHIA SUICIDAL IDEATION If you or anyone you know is struggling with an eating disorder please reach out for help! National Eating Disorders hotline (online chat/Texting/Calling) - 1-800-931-2237 KINKS EXPLORED IN THIS BOOK DEGRADATION PRAISE EDGING Chapter One Sammi Second Grade “Time for recess,” Mr. Greer announced. I groan because that’s the worst time of day for me, besides getting to see my best friend Brinley Ryan, I’m not her best friend though that is her stepbrother, Lawson Beck. I wish me and Brinny would have gotten the same teacher this year for second grade, but nope she ended up with Mrs. Smalls. Sometimes she plays with me when Lawson is playing with the other boys because he doesn’t want to play with me, so she always has to choose. I would never make her choose. I don’t know why we can’t all play together, but the other kids don’t like me, only Brinny does. All the second-grade classes run out to the playground, but I sit quietly on a bench. I watch all the other kids play and wonder why they don’t ever want to play with me. I’m quiet and nice. I’m never mean to anyone, why don’t they like me? “Hey, Sammi, want to play?”I squint my eyes from the blinding sun to look up at Paul Williams standing at the side of the bench. “Okay.” I say excitedly. Maybe Paul will be my friend now and play with me when Brinny plays with Lawson.“Come on.” He smiles and waves his hand for me to follow. He takes me underneath the jungle gym. “What do you want to play?” I crouch down, balancing myself on my shoes. “Let’s play barber shop.” He giggles while the other kids gather around. “Huh?” He pushes me. I lose my balance and fall to my back. “What did you do that for?” Before I can get up, he sits on top of me and pulls something from his pocket. “Get off me!” I yell and fight the hardest I can. He’s heavy on my tummy, it’s hard to breathe, fight, and scream at him. My eyes widen when I see the scissors he’s holding. Paul grabs a fistful of my curly hair and I jerk my head back and forth; the crunching sound of the scissors slicing through my hair is loud as he cuts it off. Then laughter surrounds us. “Please help me!” I cry and scream. I kick my legs and try to flap my arms, but he has them pinned underneath his legs. Tears run down my cheeks. My vision is blurry, but I see all their faces staring, laughing, and not helping me. There’s only two not laughing: Maddox Walker and his best friend Axel Hartly. Maddox’s face is red and eyes squinting at Paul. “Please help me.” I whisper to the only one who looks as mad as I feel.“Paul Williams!” Mr. Greer’s angry voice gets closer. “Get off of her right now!” Mrs. Smalls crawls under the jungle gym and pulls me into her lap, I cry against her shoulder. “Sammi, I’m going to take you to the office and we’re going to call your parents.”“Okay.” Hiccupping, I stumble out and let her carry me all the way to the office. I sit in the chair, my legs criss-cross applesauce with my hands covering my face. I can’t stop crying while waiting for my parents to come get me.