Ingrained

Ingrained A Second Chance Romance Jenni Brady Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Jenni Brady This book or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means. Including scanning, uploading, electronic sharing, photocopying or other electronic/mechanical methods, without the express written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations on a book review. The book is a work of fiction. While references might be made to actual locations or historical events, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Ingrained © by Jenni Brady. Book Cover Design by AS Designs Proof Reading by Lindsey Powell Contents Dedication Content Warnings Playlist & Pinterest Board Prologue 1. Mark 2. Emmy 3. Mark 4. Mark 5. Emmy 6. Emmy 7. Mark 8. Emmy 9. Mark 10. Mark 11. Emmy 12. Emmy 13. Mark 14. Emmy 15. Emmy 16. Mark 17. Emmy 18. Emmy 19. Mark 20. Mark 21. Emmy 22. Emmy 23. Mark Epilogue Acknowledgments About Author Dedication For every woman who gave a guy a second chance only to discover fictional men do it best. This one is for you. Content Warnings First of all thank you so much for giving a new author a chance. I can't thank you enough and hope you enjoy reading Mark and Emmy's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd love for everyone to go in blind and uncover the plot but that doesn't always make for a good reading experience for everyone. Readers comfort is my priority so if any of the following would upset you turn back. Mentions of parental abuse Mental Health Issues like anxiety This trigger will spoil a plot point in story so if you have triggers, please head to www.jennibradyauthor.com where there is a full, comprehensive list of triggers or feel free to reach out to me on social media. Playlist & Pinterest Board Music plays an important part in Mark and Emmy's story. Enjoy the playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6cQtXOo8VpxfqHjx4t5JNr?si=70cf8798c8ca4723 Giants (Piano) - Dermot Kennedy When You Love Someone (Acoustic) – James TW Stay With Me – Jasmine Thompson You Broke Me First - Conor Maynard Eastside (Acoustic) – benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid Dirty Talk – Wynter Gordon drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo I Don't Care – Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber Surrender - Natalie Taylor Jealous – Labrinth Can I Be Him (Acoustic Live) – James Arthur happier - Olivia Rodrigo Heat Waves – Glass Animals Night Ends - MAKJ Wildest Dreams (Taylors Version) – Taylor Swift Into Your Arms (feat. Ava Max) – Witt Lowry Check out the Ingrained Pinterest Board – https://pin.it/6yGaVnK Prologue Emmy Age 29 The sharp wind sends a chill through my body. I tremble against the harsh cold, my body shaking uncontrollably, and my hair whips violently against my frigid face. I stand staring at the river, watching the waves swell and crash, the spray almost hitting me. I want to be swallowed whole in the swirling vortex of water created by the wind. My mind is whirling, everything is shouting at me to run, leave––abandon. Go and never look back. This whole city, my home, my sanctuary, now feels anything but that. The wind blows again, stinging the tears that are falling down my cheeks. My phone demands my attention. I look at the screen. His name pops up along with his fucking gorgeous face. The one I love, the one I would do anything right now to hate. Endless texts, begging me to call him, begging me to talk, and just plain begging for me. It's too late. A part of me knew this was going to end in tears but I foolishly thought it could be different, that I could make it different. My phone vibrates again. I throw it as hard and as far as I can until it lands in the raging water. I want to destroy more, the need to eradicate itches on my hot skin. Though the splash momentarily satisfies me, I want to rip the world to shreds so it’ll look exactly how my heart feels. The need for violence chafes at me. I want to burn this city to the ground and lay among the ashes, covering myself in the evidence of my destruction. I want to scream, cry and curl up and never see the light of day again. I want to be consumed by the darkness that is currently eating me. I’m at war with myself, every part of me wants to tear the skin from my body and bleed out for the world to see. I need the world to see the pain I’m in, for my inside to match the outside. Anger weighs heavy in my chest, begging to be released. The heaviness shortens my breath, it clings to my chest, and I try to drag more air into my lungs. I wince at the sharpness of the wind against my bare skin. I shiver, from not only the bitterness of the chill in the air but the memory of what I just ran from. My teeth chatter against the cold February air. I need to figure everything out, and unjumble the giant mess I'm in. I need to leave, it’s the only way. Here I stand on the Brooklyn Bridge, probably looking like a suicide risk to everyone. Panic creeps into my bones, that familiar grip of ice encasing my heart. My pulse races and my breathing shallows until I can’t see straight. I clutch at my chest, the pain spreading quickly, and my heart is broken. It’s like I can feel it crack, starting in my chest and slowly crawling like ivy through me. With blurry eyes I fall to my knees in broad daylight, in the middle of the busy sidewalk. My knees hit the ground and pain radiates through me,