The Darkness Within Us (The Shadows Between Us, #2)

by Tricia Levenseller

When men think they can control you, they don’t watch you as closely. When they think you’re stupid, they’re not so careful about the things they’ll say in front of you.

I have spent far too long playing the simpleton, keeping silent, minding myself. But speaking, it is the most glorious freedom.

Fair? Fair! Men do not get to utter that word in a world that favors them in every single space of life.

“You want me to put my trust in another man? Just hope that the next one won’t abuse his power? I want to be the one with the power: the power to remove myself from those who treat me poorly, the power to protect myself, the power to always make my own decisions about my body and my life. Neither you nor anyone else can put a price on that freedom.

“We only have the one life. We have to fight to make it the best it can be. And when others abuse the powers granted them, then what choice do we have except to fight back?”

I let the laws of men dictate me. I thought it was the only way I could win. But choosing myself has been more freeing than anything else.”