More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“I will find him, and I will make him suffer,” he promises me with a sinister glint in his eyes that makes my skin crawl. “I swear it, Aspen. I will get revenge, no matter the cost.” I believe him, but now I’m worried what that cost will be, and if I lose Quinton in the process, I know I won’t survive. .
“You killed him?” I turn toward my father. “What happened to we can’t just go around offing people without a reason?” “I guess we have to move to plan B,” my father announces. “We’re killing everyone. The whole Valentine family.”
“Aspen, you’re the strongest person I know. No matter how much shit people put you through, including me, you never let it break you. You got back up every time with your head held high. You even stood up to my father, and I’ve seen grown men piss their pants in his presence.”
“How am I going to get over what happened?” “You’re not supposed to get over it, but we’ll learn how to live with it. What happened doesn’t define who you are.”
After today, I vow never to cry for people who do not cry for me, who do not care for me. I vow to be stronger because the only person I can count on is myself.
“You’re my monster. My protector. You stood up for me, even killed for me, and that’s something no one has ever done… and probably never will again.” His gaze softens, the contours of his face relaxing. “No one will ever hurt you again, Aspen. I vow, on my life, on my sister’s, on my mother’s lives, that no one will get to you ever again. So long as there’s blood pumping through my veins and air in my lungs, I will protect you. Tell me you understand that? Tell me that no matter what happens in the future, you will remember that.”
“I’ll protect you from everyone and everything, no matter what. Always remember that.”
And even though I shouldn’t, I believe him because Quinton and I are so much more than enemies, so much more than the darkness and despair we share. We can both deny it all we want, but this has brought us closer, and I have no doubt Quinton will kill for me again and again.
“Letting someone you love go is the hardest thing you will ever have to do.” “I don’t—” I can’t even say it out loud. Many lies have passed my lips today, but I can’t say this one out loud. Fuck, I love Aspen. I love her, and now I have to forget about her. I have to let her go to keep her safe, and keeping my mother and sister safe is the most important thing in the world.
The fierce-looking bear looks realistic from afar, but close up, it looks almost abstract, with harsh lines that shouldn’t be there but somehow belong. His fur turns into an angry pattern, which perfectly hides the name I asked him to integrate. Aspen.
I’m on the verge of cracking, but I know I’ll never be the same if I do. Maybe that’s what I need. To realize that the person I was before will never be me again. They took that away from me, and now I need to find myself again. I need to rise from the ashes and pave my own way.
“Quinton loves you; he loves you so much he killed an entire family for you. He loves you in a way that isn’t conventional, and I’ll bet all the money I’ve got that he’s doing this to protect you.”
“Don’t ever do something like that again. I almost lost you once. I can’t risk losing you again, and especially not because you tried to save me.” “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” I growl back. “Fucking Christ, Aspen.” He shakes his head, sending locks of brown hair flying while some remain stuck to his clammy forehead. “The idea of losing you kills me. Don’t sacrifice yourself for me.”
I never knew before that fear and hatred could be two sides of the same coin.
now I know better than to blindly trust anyone, ever. Even the friendliest smile can conceal a dagger.
I’ve lost myself to this woman. I can’t bring myself to care when she’s all I’ll ever want. Even if every second we spend together is a mistake.
“Do you think this is easy? Pushing you away? Haven’t I proven to you what you mean to me? I would burn the world down for you.”
That’s what I needed to hear. How does he always know exactly what I need most? Just like he always knew how to cut me with a well-chosen word. Then and now, we are connected by something invisible but strong. Unbreakable.
for Aspen, I’ll do anything, kill anyone. I’ll burn the fucking world down for her.
“I picked the lotus because even when its roots are in the dirtiest of waters, it still somehow finds a way to bloom into a beautiful flower.”
I just want you to know that I see your strength. I know the waters are dark, and it’s hard to wade through the darkness sometimes, but you’re strong, and in the end, you will bloom into a beautiful flower.”
Yes, our love was born from hate, but aren’t the best love stories born in some type of tragedy? Is it really love if you don’t have to fight for it to some degree?
She giggles softly, and somehow, that’s the best part of all. The sound of her lightheartedness. I would do anything to hear it again—preferably every day for the rest of my life.
I don’t need a bachelor party. All I need is Aspen. I would do much more than this to ensure her safety, and I have. I’ve killed for her. I would burn down the entire world if it meant sparing her.
“I love you. I always will. You’re the only thing I care about in this world. You have my name, but you’ve had my heart much longer than that. And I intend to devote the rest of my life to you. My wife.”
“Clyde Mather wasn’t Aspen’s biological father,” Lucas tells everyone at the table. “I am.”
