“I considered him and felt the now familiar crush of emotions weighing on me, begging me to cave in and fall into his strong arms.I pushed back with every ounce of energy I had left. Every time I trusted someone, I got hurt. Every time I let go, I was let down. Not again. I would drive them away before the left.”

“Will you ever let me go, Estin?” she asked eventually.Estin snorted and closed the book.“I let you go a little every time you mention his name. I let you go every time you left because of him. Even now, you won’t be near me because of him. I have let you go as much as I am able while I draw breath. I will never push you...but if you want me to leave you completely alone, please send me away. If I’m with you…I am who I am, Feanne.”

“Every "I hate you" that echoed from her chest was followed by an "I love you" from his lips. Every time she begged him to let go, he told her he would be there forever.”

“But his letters . . . I took them with me, let the "ounces" cry aloud. I tried to leave, and could not. They would not be left; it was not my fault. I will not be scolded.”

“And right now, all I can do is take his word. All I can do is take my trust and place it back into his hands. I just hope he knows that it's all the trust I have left to give him. I know for a fact that if he hurts me like he's hurt me before, it'll be the last time he ever hurts me.”

“Every pain, every sorrow, every worry, and the betrayal. Hearing him say Fionna and sex in the same sentence and demeaning my insecurities pushed me over the edge. If someone had told me I was crying I wouldn't have believed them because in that moment all I felt was contempt. Before I knew what I was doing my hand reached out and skid across his cheek. I instantly felt the sting of the slap. I dismissed the pain. I planted both hand on his chest and pushed with all my strength. I was ready to attack him again when he grabbed my arms and held them tight. The harder I fought the harder he held me”