“Our lips brushed,and I felt like a chord had been struck inside me, and my body was humming with a pure musical note.”

“Before I saw you, I hadn’t cared for anyone for . . . well, for the good part of a century, and it felt like my heart had been permanently disconnected. I wasn’t even looking anymore. And without expecting anything . . . without any hope at all, suddenly you were here.”

“Their poses are all different but the face is the same. Painted from memory in scene after scene is the fresh-faced beauty. Kate.It's the bargain I've made with myself. If I can't caress her body with my hands, I paint it with my brushes. Use my fingers to trace her lines.”

“I had feared that love would make me vulnerable. Instead I felt empowered.”

“Luck, normalcy, fate ... none of those seemed to be on our side. Our very being together went against all the odds. All I knew was that something good had begun. A flame had been lit. And the whole universe was watching to see if it would be blown out.All I could do was hold my breath. And wait.”

“I spent the rest of my day in someone else’s story. The rare moments that I put the book down, my own pain returned in burning stabs. I felt like a circus knife thrower’s target. If I held my mind immobile, I might avoid being hit by the blades whizzing by my head.”

“Bearing my mother's face was a daily reminder that I could be as strong as she had been. And fighting for what I wanted most in life was the best way to keep her alive in my heart.”