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for every woman who’s fighting a secret battle. You are not alone.
“Please. This isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.” “Yet it never gets old.”
Paul could burn water.
This man is beautiful. Then again, that’s probably what every woman said about Ted Bundy right before he killed them.
Some guard dog you are, Mav! This man is about to kill me, and you’re trying to sniff his crotch and make friends.
I meant what I said last night. It won’t happen again.”
sometimes, silence is easier than navigating around all the egg shells lying at my feet.
The twins are two years old and living proof that birth control is only 99.7% effective.
“Nothing but healthy snacks for these little fuckers today.”
“Cheetos are orange, just like carrots. Totally healthy.”
I shake off the pang of jealousy and set myself straight. There’s no room for that here. Only love.
the things we dream about aren’t always in the cards for us. They become nightmares, haunting us, reminding us of what we’ll never have, no matter how hard we try.
He’s like a drunk caveman, shouting in two-word demands.
everything in my life would always be less than if she wasn’t with me.
Most people don’t realize they’re being insensitive. They don’t know they’re taking what they have for granted, because they can’t fathom not having everything they want. But some of us don’t get to have the things that are supposed to come naturally for us. Some of us are broken.
Paul grips my bicep, forceful and hard, to keep me where he wants me. Cole clasps my hand, asking me to stay. And it makes me want to.
Next party, I’ll just wear a name tag that says Hello, My Name is Infertile Myrtle so nobody asks me if I have any kids.”
My hope and happiness are being depleted, and I don’t know how to stop the hemorrhaging.
You can’t make something happen if it’s not meant to happen.
“You do have a purpose in life. You’re my wife. Isn’t that enough for you?”
Everyone always tries to absolve you of the guilt you place on yourself, as if their words can wash away the truth.
“Go ahead. I’ll wait while you think of a believable story.”
“Say it.” I edge closer to her, forcing her green eyes to look up at me. “I want to hear you lie to my face.”
“That’s the thing about marriage: You don’t want anyone to see the flaws. The cracks, the imperfections. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the quality of the marriage.”
‘There will be plenty of time for grown-up secrets when you’re older.’”
I smirk, crossing my arms over my chest. Please. Give me a reason to hit you.
“When someone pushes you away, you need to find the strength to hold on tighter.”
You’re fed a fairytale when you’re younger, and so you try everything in your power to make that fairytale come true. You don’t see the signs along the way, the red flags. Or maybe you do, and you just don’t realize how bad things will be until you get there.
strong or weak, it doesn’t matter. Anybody can be a victim of abuse. Getting hit doesn’t mean you aren’t strong. It means you haven’t learned your worth yet.”
“Life doesn’t always go along with the plans we make for ourselves.”
“It’s easier to focus on someone else.” I lift my bruised hand. “Even easier to take it out on them.”
“If there’s one thing I learned while being married, it’s that you never believe a woman when she says she isn’t hungry.”
It’s a hard pill to swallow when you realize that you’re not meant to have all the things life has to offer.”
You have the power to change your story.” “Paul’s always had the power.” “Because you let him have it.”
you cannot fix anyone but yourself. You can change, and grow, and become a stronger person who doesn’t feel the need to fix everyone around them.
An apology becomes a lie if you keep doing the thing you’re sorry for.”
“How can you say you love me but not know if you want to be with me?” I rise from the couch and look down at him. “The same way you can tell me you love me and hit me.”
“Flattery gets you everywhere.”
It humbles a man when he doesn’t get everything he wants.”
The right person won’t ask you to sacrifice who you are for his love. Losing yourself in a relationship is never an option. You’re the most important thing you’ve got. You can love someone with your whole heart and still stay true to yourself. If he doesn’t like that, then he’s not the one for you.
I’ve just learned to breathe around the hole in my heart.
“The right answer is what you want to do. Plain and simple.”
Just because you’re good looking doesn’t mean I won’t knock you upside your head with my shoe.”
We both exhale, and I don’t know who needs this more. The angel caught up in chaos, or the demon searching for peace.
“You can feel happy for your friend and still feel sad for yourself,”
How will I know when enough time has passed? And who creates these rules and regulations about when it’s okay to move on?
“You’re not fragile because you’re weak. You’re fragile because life is fragile.
She was the perfect baby ... until nighttime came. Then she was like a gremlin who got fed after midnight.
“I don’t know how you operate heavy machinery at work all day with your head stuffed so far up your own ass.”
“Your mistakes don’t define you. They teach you, sure. But they don’t change who you are. They don’t dictate your future. Not unless you let it.”
