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I understand that in our work, doesn’t matter whether it’s acting or writing, what’s important isn’t fame or glamour, none of the things I used to dream about. It’s the ability to endure. —Anton Chekhov, The Seagull
No one is yours, and you belong to no one. We’re all just fallen foes trying to survive this universe.
Winnifred Ashcroft is the only thing remotely entertaining about this event, and feasting on her self-esteem is tastier than eating any other dish served here tonight.
“Beat it.” “Now, now, Winnifred. I thought all southern belles were sweet and agreeable.”
We Corbins always won in the end. Even if it meant we needed to play dirty.
“Outgrew them when I became a widow. Life’s too short to be a well-behaved lady.”
“Are you just going to stand there and let him talk to me like that?” she demands. I smooth out my suit. “I can sit down if you prefer.”
“And obsession”—Arya sinks her upper teeth into her bottom lip—“is a potent poison. It tastes real sweet and can easily be mistaken for love.”
It was the dreams that kept me going. Because where there were dreams—there was hope.
To this jab, I gave a full-blown laugh. “She was weird, awkward, and the first lawful wife of Douglas Corbin. The mother of his firstborn. His sole heir. And she might be dead, but these facts? They fucking kill you, Miranda.”
Loyalty is not a tree. It doesn’t grow with time. Either you’re a loyal person or you’re not.
“Superpowers are boring. They have no merit. It’s the power we find in ourselves that matters.”
“Oh, Mr. Corbin.” I let loose a bitter smile, glancing behind my shoulder. “Maybe you’d have been happy, but you can’t say the same for your fiancée. That’s why she was on that plane to Paris.” I deliver the final blow. “To be loved by someone who knows how to love.”
“Life is beautiful and wild, and it doesn’t wait for you to decide to participate in it. You need to jump into the water headfirst. And when you do? Make sure to make a splash.”
“Once I make up my mind about a woman, no one can save her. Not even God.”
“Unlike you, who cares too much. The charities, volunteer work, the cookies, the smiles. You need to live a little more for yourself and a little less for everyone else.”
“Too bad we’re not measured based on our good times. It’s how we perform in the bad times that makes us who we are.”
“I think maybe there was some type of life on Mars at some point. At any rate, right now it’s too cold, too dusty, and too dry to be hospitable. But this could change. I can see us investing in making artificial habitats and becoming Martians if we really put our minds to it, if we really try.”
“That’s right, life is a messy business. Living is a lesson in endurance.” Arsène nods. “And endurance is a lesson in humility. The problem with humankind is that everyone wants a simple, comfortable life. But that’s such a terrible existence. How could you ever appreciate the good moments if you haven’t braved the bad ones?
“This is why you’ve never been truly happy. You’re still trying to find the price tag on joy.”
“She told me that every now and then, she goes downstairs and asks her neighbor for something small and cheap so that the neighbor would always feel welcome to ask Winnie for things too. Food items, toothpaste, soap. This was her way of making sure our neighbor knows they’re on equal footing. I don’t know what your story is with this woman, but I can tell you she is not egotistic.
It is absolutely possible to be happy for someone and still be jealous of them to the point of tears.
Just because a man is perfect doesn’t mean he is perfect for you.
“I am Mars, and there might be life on it. There could be. Thanks to you. I burn for you, Winnifred. And I’m tired of living in the cold. Come back to New York. Make the place livable. For both of us. Please.”
“Heartbreak is a terrible reason not to give love a second chance.
Life, by definition, is a gamble. You win some, you lose some. The important thing is—always lose with a victorious smile.”
Because there is one thing Winnifred doesn’t know about me. Doesn’t need to know. And that is that I will always let her win.
