“Then the boy made a small cough, and then coughed deeper, and again, and then vomited some salt water. Oh God, thank you!”

“Doby started to swallow but his throat was so dry he coughed. How would he explain that one to von Portzer? One million dollars stolen.”

“Like many people the young man was caught between conflicting cultures, diametrically opposed to each other, and through this he had to navigate. I carry suspicions about him.”

“Maxon lowered his lips to mine and gave me the faintest whisper of a kiss.Something about the tentativeness of it made me feel beautiful. Without a word, I could understand how excited he was to have this moment, but then afraid at the same time. And deeper than any of that, I sensed that he adored me.So this is what it felt like to be a lady.”

“It wasn’t like I made his world better. It was like I was his world. It wasn’t some explosion; it wasn’t fireworks. It was a fire, burning slowly from the inside out.”

“Every girl will come with pros and cons. Some people will choose to focus on the worst in some of your options and the best in others, and it will make no sense to you why they seem so narrow minded. But I’m here for you, whatever your choice.”

“I knew that, in my whole life, if I married Aspen or someone else, no one would ever make me feel this way. It wasn’t like I made his world better. It was like I was his world. It wasn’t some explosion; it wasn’t fireworks. It was a fire, burning slowly from the inside out.”