“None of them are you,” she says in a quiet whisper, looking deep into my eyes and letting me see just how much she means what she says. “You constantly remind me of what I’ve been fighting for. When I found the strength to escape Lawrence, my entire focus was on survival, but you’ve shown me what it’s like to live. The nights we spent in the dining hall, when you told me about everything you and the guys used to get up to when you were kids, made me realize what I’d been missing my whole life. I craved that sense of belonging, of having friendships, and feeling that deep-seated loyalty the
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