“First, you're sorry for invading my privacy for years, years before I even knew you existed. Second, you're sorry for kidnapping me, isolating, controlling me, and manipulating me. Third, you're sorry for lying to me, pretending you cared and oh yearh, marrying me. Fourth, listen carefully Tony, this is the big one...you're sorry for framing me for attempted murder, resulting in incarceration in a federal penitentiary."
"I am deeply sorry for one and four. I did provide you with an alternative destination for number four. I am not proud of two, but three would never have happened without it. I am not, and never will be sorry for three. And, for the record, I never lied about or pretended to love you. I didn't realize it at first, but I have loved you since before you knew my name. And, you forgot our divorce. I am sincerely sorry for that also.”
“In their figurative game of chess, Anthony Rawlings had Claire in check. Every move she made, he countered.”
“Claire to Tony: "I know you enjoy coffee, I'd offer you some. But, the last time I got you coffee, it didn't work out so well for me.”
“A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you for who you are today.”
“Tony poured wine into each glass and handed one to Claire. “Do you remember when we had wine at the Red Wing?”
Claire closed her eyes, recalling the scene from a lifetime ago, and nodded. “I do.”
“I’d been watching you for years. I was so nervous that night. I thought I was planning your acquisition.” He looked into his red liquid.
Her stance straightened, “If you’re using business metaphors, may I suggest hostile takeover. It’s more appropriate.”
“...His words were barely audible. That was all right; they weren’t intended for anyone except the woman who wasn’t there. “I’m so sorry... for everything... why? ... why did you leave me?” As the tears coated his cheeks he told himself, Anthony Rawlings doesn’t cry. He doesn’t apologize, and he doesn’t cry...”
“I have made some bad decisions… and done some things I regret in my life… but without a doubt… what I regret the most… is divorcing you. If you tell me there is hope, that one day you’ll be Mrs. Rawlings again, I will wait.”
“Tony squeezed her hand and whispered, “It’s as beautiful as I remember.”
“Have you been here – recently?”
“No, I’d be lost without you.”
“....For the first time in his life he’d dared to believe in happily-ever-after.He learned at a young age it was unattainable. Therefore, he’d never even tried... until Claire.”
“It’s documented, when a person is forbidden something, once it’s available, they tend to overindulge.”
Tony met her gaze, his tone a sultry melody, “Before it is made available, a person may dream of it, long for it, and fantasize about it. Especially if they once had it and know how amazing it is.”
“s they sat, him on the sofa and her in a chair, she added, “I know you enjoy coffee, I’d offer you some. But, the last time I got you coffee, it didn’t work out so well for me.”
Tony smirked, “God, Claire you’re something else. I can’t imagine anyone else joking about that.”
“I don't want you with anyone else. You're mine and have been for a very long time.”
“Tony lifted his glass and proposed a toast, “To you, the only person in this world, who can keep me on my toes.”
Claire held her glass.”
“You're right. Your decietfulness far exceeds my modest attempts at dishonesty. I bow-down to your superior duplicity.”
“Perhaps the rest of the world was gone. It was the most plausible answer. Heaven knows she couldn’t see or think of anyone else. That must be the answer, they were the only two people left, as the Earth spun into a timeless abyss.
Claire once read time doesn’t pass at normal speeds within a black hole. If one were to travel into a black hole for only moments and return again, centuries would have passed. That explained the sensation she felt, once again peering into his dark gaze. She wouldn’t look away; she’d trained herself better than that. Then again, she reasoned, it wasn’t an option. She couldn’t divert her gaze if she wanted. The hold upon her stare was stronger than any ropes or chains made by man. Claire knew from experience, submitting to the hold was her best chance at survival. Fighting was a futile waste of energy.”
“Mr Anthony Rawlings had a lesson to learn and Claire claimed the role as teacher.”
“She sat back down, arms once again crossed over her breasts. It was the most direct she’d ever spoken to him, and it felt liberating. Unfortunately, the resentment coursing through her veins wouldn’t allow her to relish her new found independence.
She expected her words to incite anger; after all, she’d experienced his anger before. Nevertheless, carelessly and unapologetically Claire forged ahead, “I would prefer the words, but you are welcome to say, one through four, if that’s easier for you.”
“Mr. Rawlings is a man of his word. The problem was, he made two different promises and he felt honored to keep them both. He hoped that by fulfilling one, in a different than expected way, he may have the chance to rectify the other.”
“I know you enjoy coffee, I´d offer you some. But, the last time I got you coffee, it didn´t work out so well for me."
Tony smirked, "God, Claire you´re something else. I can´t imagine anyone else joking about that."
"Well, see, you misinterpreted. I wasn´t joking. I´m actually still pissed as hell.”
“No matter how much he loved her ... his need to fulfill his promise to Nathaniel would always prevail.”
“Love comes when manipulation stops; when you think more about the other person than about his or her reactions to you. When you dare to reveal yourself fully. When you dare to be vulnerable. —Dr. Joyce Brothers”
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. —Mahatma Ghandi”
“It has been said, people drawn to law enforcement have a sixth sense, an ability to see what others do not. He prayed he was wrong. His sixth sense said there was much more than a broken heart in Claire's past.”
“It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. — Chaos Theory”
“Each thought was epic yet minuscule.”
“Could it be possible to hate and love someone too?”
“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on —it is going on when you don’t have strength. ―Napoleon Bonaparte”
“The secret to getting away with lying is believing it with all your heart, that goes for lying to yourself even more so than lying to another. —Elizabeth Bear”
“I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. —Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
“Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets. —Baltasar Gracian”
“If savages had the ways of gentlemen, where would be the difference?”
“It was a testament to the resilience of humanity. Give a man a tree and he will make it into a boat; give him a leaf and he will curve it into a cup and drink water from it; give him a rock and he will make a weapon to protect himself and his family. Give a man a small box and a limit of 140 characters to type into it, and he will adapt it to fight an oppressive dictatorship in the Middle East.”
“Ah. That’s infinitely better,” he said. “Nice to finally meet you, Peril. Thank you so much for your help.”
“He made her want to believe in fairy tales and lies. In males who were decent and loving.”
“Our country itself was cursed, bastardized, partitioned into north and south, and if it could be said of us that we chose division and death in our uncivil war, that was also only partially true. We had not chosen to be debased by the French, to be divided by them into an unholy trinity of north, center, and south, and to be turned over to the great powers of capitalism and communism for a further bisection, then given roles as the clashing armies of a Cold War chess match played in air-conditioned rooms by white men wearing suits and lies.”
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