“Fear is strange. It settles on chests and seeps through skin, through layers of tissue, muscle, and bone and collects in a soul-sized black hole, sucking the joy out of life, the pleasure, the beauty. But not the hope. Somehow, the hope is the only thing resistant to the fear, and it is that hope that makes the next breath possible, the next step, the next tiny act of rebellion, even if that rebellion is simply staying alive.”

“There are laws. There are rules. And when you break them, there are consequences. Laws of nature and laws of life. Laws of love and laws of death.”

“You act like beauty is the only thing that makes us worthy of love.”

“Maybe the secret to happiness is simplicity.”

“Fern: How would you know? Have you ever been nobody? Ambrose: Everybody who is somebody becomes nobody the moment they fail.”

“Why are you so angry?”His question surprised me, and I laughed a little. “This isn’t angry,” I smirked. “This is just me. Get used to it.”

“People who are afraid of the truth never find it.”

“He was right that I was afraid. But I didn’t think I was afraid of the truth. I was afraid of believing something that would destroy me if it turned out to be a lie.”

“Why don’t you focus on where you’re going and less on where you came from?”

“She wondered how it would feel to be beautiful and have it taken away. How much harder would it be than never knowing what it felt like in the first place?”

“I have all the power, but you will destroy me. “Only your walls, Lark.” He deepened the kiss, licking into my mouth as if he knew he’d find me there hiding from him.”