The Damaged

Seven months pregnant and trapped in an emotionally and physically abusive marriage, Petty Officer Third Class Clarissa Burton makes a desperate choice to save herself and her unborn child. What begins as an escape leads her to the psychiatric ward of Balboa Naval Hospital—a place where broken military souls are hidden behind locked doors and silence.

Inside the ward, Clarissa finds herself surrounded by fellow service members battling devastating emotional and psychological wounds of their own. As painful secrets surface and fragile alliances form, the line between survival and destruction begins to blur. What was supposed to be a place of healing soon reveals itself to be a terrifying psychological battlefield.

The Damaged – The Ignition is a gripping and emotionally charged story of trauma, resilience, sacrifice, spiritual struggle, and the unbreakable bonds formed among the wounded. This powerful first installment in The Damaged novelette series will pull readers into a haunting world of fear, faith, survival, and redemption—leaving them eager for the next chapter in the journey.

Author Clarissa Burton served honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 1990.