“He said, You're so tiny, like a doll, you look like you might break. I wanted him to break me. Part of me did.”

“You don't believe it because you don't understand," he said hoarsely. "Prosper was different. He wasn't like otherpeople. He might have hated me, but he loved me too. In his own way. He couldn't help it; not after raising me for all those years." When no one responded – when he saw nothing but expressions of disbelief on the faces around him – Cadel wailed, "He did! He did! I know he did! He only wanted to wreck my life because he wasn't a part of it!"And as sympathetic hands reached out towards him from every corner of the car, Cadel began to cry like someone whose heart was breaking.”

“I hoped I never saw him again. If I ever had to look at him again, if he looked at me the way he did that day, it would break me.”

“Elodin looked at me. "What a remarkably honest threat," he said. "Normally they're much more growlish and gristly than that.""Gristly?" I asked, emphasizing the 't.' "Don't you mean grisly?""Both," he said. "Usually there's a lot of, 'I'll break your knees. I'll break your neck.'" He shrugged. "Makes me think of gristle, like when you're boning a chicken.”

“Please dont' look at me like that," she said."How am I looking?""Like your heart is breaking.""It is, sunshine.”

“Part of my role is to look after your needs. You said you wanted me to stay, so here I am. And yet I find you like this.”