“The pain was so deep and so raw. There were days I would have died just to forget. The problem was, I couldn't figure out how to get her out of my mind. How do you kill that kind of pain?”

“You want to forget your pain. I mean to tell you that doing that will only cause you more hurt. - Khai”

“. . . your history is no less important to your survival than your ability to breathe. In the end, you can only determine whether to saturate your memories with pain or with perspective. Forgetting is not an option. I tell you the truth now: Pain was not God's plan for this life. It is a reality, but it is not a part of the plan.”

“Grow up? Get herself straightened out? Her mind reeled from the verbal battering. No matter what she did, her father would tell her she was wrong. Worthless. Undeserving.”

“I have a confession.""Oh?""I can't get you off my mind."His statement robbed her of words. Heat spread down the nape of her neck. He was saying too much. ~Thomas to Chelise”

“That’s it?” Jason asked. “You spent an hour talking about how lucky you were to be dying?”No, not dying, Son. Living.”

“He was as needy as she was. Alvin Finch only wanted to be needed. Loved. And absent of either, he resorted to deflecting his pain by killing. Just like a teenager might resort to deflecting the pain of rejection by cutting. People did a lot of crazy things to be wanted.”