She thought leaving home meant leaving the pain behind. She was wrong. Ellie arrives at college carrying wounds she's never named-and a boyfriend who knows exactly how to reopen them. Hunter has always been her anchor, but anchors don't lift you up. They hold you down. When Ellie crosses paths with Mateo, a philosophy student who sees past her carefully constructed survival, she glimpses something terrifying: the possibility that she deserves more. But wanting more and reaching for it are two different things. Trapped in a web of blackmail, isolation, and abuse, Ellie fights to hold onto the version of herself Mateo believes in-even as Hunter tightens his grip. And Mateo has wounds of his own, scars that have made him cautious about opening his heart again. As they find themselves leaning on each other through the wreckage of their pasts, the pull between them grows impossible to ignore. Healing isn't a straight line. And love-real love-doesn't come without a fight. Can Ellie and Mateo find their way to each other before the weight of everything broken tears them apart for good? Two full-length novels. One devastating, hopeful, slow-burn love story you won't be able to put down. If you love complicated love triangles and second chances that feel earned, the Scarred Hearts Duet was made for you. Don't miss it.