“I couldn’t even masturbate without fearing I’d cry out his name and scare the damn dog.”

“The person my heartache would spit out wouldn’t be Ellie Watt and she wouldn’t be Eden White. I didn’t know her name, but I knew she wouldn’t possess a heart.I was fucking scared of her.”

“I’m scared of him. I’m disgusted by the vile monster he becomes, this beast he lets out. But I still love him. I’d still do anything for him. I can’t just turn off my heart. I want to, I do, but I can’t. I love him with everything I have and I hate myself for it. Because it’s wrong to love him, I know. It’s so wrong.”

“And then he laughed. It was short and brief, but genuine and made the dimples stand out on his scruffy cheeks. It was the best sound I’d heard all year.”

“Oh, I was so damn close to feeding him his own dick.”

“Mommy, he told me he’s going to take me away for some candy and I can pet his fat dog.”

“No, you’re not shooting me down, kiddo … Because I’m not really trying. When I do try, you’ll know it. And then you’ll throw the whole damn rulebook out the window.”