Aphrodite and the Duke

by J.J. McAvoy

Plato said love was a grave mental disease, and I feared returning to London would make me realize I was still quite ill.

There is no way to outrun your responsibilities, only delay them.”

“In his mind, it is the thousandth time, for that is the nature of loving someone. They conquer your every thought, so while you may have met only once or twice, to him, it feels like many times before.”

The pride of a man is far too dangerous to trifle with.”

“You have fooled no one, Aphrodite. All day, you sit like an angel among men, unfazed, unbothered, as if you are not part of this world. And then he appears in front of you, and you become mortal. You show your anger, your pain, your joy, your fear, and, most dearly, your heart.”

“Never has there been a sharper blade than the tongue of a woman.”

All tales, Papa, have struggles. Just as you could not protect me the first time my heart broke, you cannot protect me this time.

“When your life is disrupted, you begin to think that it is never going be whole again, that any good moment will be subsequently met with bad. As if it were punishment for daring to be happy.”

All cannot be spilled in a day, but is that bad, since marriage is for a lifetime?”

It was not fair to make a mortal man fight against a goddess.

For all the wealth, titles, and land we held, we were powerless against one man.

Sad

Whatever you have heard, worry not, for Evander and I have weathered the storm. We are much stronger and better for it—

Dedicated to the women like me who wanted more stories like this

So Dear Romance, Thank you for making me smile on days I thought I would cry. Thank you for giving me hope when everything felt hopeless. Thank you for allowing me to dream while still awake. Thank you for the book boyfriends I wish were real. Thank you for existing and thus allowing the characters in my soul to exist as well. I am eternally grateful. Your biggest fan, J.J.