"Death can inhabit the body long before the soul ever leaves."
"I had to go to hell to find the person I am today."
"The thing that Franco always seems to forget is that in his desperation to protect the King, he often leaves the Queen vulnerable."
"I want there to be nothing at all. Ever again. No pain. No sadness. Just nothing."
"Because he treasures his ownership over me too much to let me go."
"My mind is too fragile to accept it right now. That my hope has been snatched away from me so easily."
"My heart and body are sluggish, but I need to keep my mind sharp."
"There is no breath in my lungs. I’m clawing at my throat, and he grabs my hands."
"He could never love me. Because I’m damaged beyond repair."
"You should never expect anything from anyone."
"I will not ever love you, but I will have you, Talia. In every way."
"You picked me because you knew you could never love me."
"I married you so that I can fuck you. And think of you while I do it."
"You don’t need to be fixed, Solnyshko, but you can’t avoid your feelings forever. You believe that you would rather face death than your fears. But this is not the way it works."
"Life isn’t fair, Solnyshko. You know this better than anyone."
"You are my wife now, Solnyshko. Which means I am responsible for your safety. And I will never ask you to do anything that puts you in harm’s way."
"They are little things. But nobody has ever done these things for me."
"I like your insanity. And I like the way you fuck me. I like the way you make it all go away."
"I can’t look away from him, but I know that I need to."
"I watch him as he rifles through my closet. Through the racks of designer clothing that I haven’t so much as touched."
"I wonder why he does it. He knows I am capable. But here he is, dressing me."
"It’s a vulnerable request for him. And I respect him for it."
"His body is pressing me down against the desk, one hand tangling in my hair and yanking my head to the side so he can kiss my throat."
"I like it when he touches me. When he makes me forget. And makes me feel alive too."
"You are the perfect wife. Perfect for me, Solnyshko."
"Because you are my wife. And that is what husbands must do. They should put family above all else."
"You will spend time with the other women tonight. Tradition."
"Do not speak of things that you don’t understand. And never mention my father again."
"It has been a day. I have not spoken to Talia. Not fixed anything the way that I should."
"Because everything Nikolai said was correct. It should have been me there to comfort her."
"I want another drink. But since Magda has taken it, I have only one choice."
"You need to give me a baby," I demand of her. "You need to take my come inside of you every day until you are swollen with my child."
"I do not want your gifts, Lyoshka. I want nothing from you. You are my greatest shame."
"I will provide you with a good life, Talia," he says quietly. "Anything you wish, it will be yours."
"As long as there is breath in me, as long as my heart beats, I will protect you, Solnyshko."
"He believes he is destined to destroy everything he touches as well, Miss Talia. But we both know this is not true."
"You will sleep in my bed from now on, Solynshko. My wife should be in my bed every night."
"I am going to take you often tonight," he tells me.
"I want you to know the level of my devotion to you," he states.
"You did not have very much to drink tonight," I remark.
"That you can't hear," I answer. "And yet, you are the only person who has ever really listened to me."
"I will always see you, Solnyshko," he tells me. "Always."
"Every man can fuck me. But Alexei fucks my mind. My heart. My soul."
"Because you like it," I tell him. "And I'll make you come."
"I will look at my wife whenever I please," he tells me. "And don't ever tell me otherwise, Solnyshko. You will be intimate with me. And you will never hide from me."
"We have to be better than we were. For our child. And for ourselves."
"I have gone through everything. Credit card purchases. I cannot figure out how she got the camera."
"You always assumed the worst of me, Tal. But all I’ve ever done was try to protect you."
"I want to stay here," I tell Lachlan with a shaky voice. "I’m going to stay here."
"But that is not the case. It is evident when he finally breaks. Ronan has made him suffer past the point of all reason and strength. His mind can no longer withstand the pain."
"Those three little words burst from his mouth and ignite the darkness that has always burned inside of me. Because of him. For him."
"My own father murdered my wife and unborn child in cold blood. Exposed me to the other Vory as weak. And destroyed my life."
"To have the only thing he ever valued participate in his destruction would be difficult for Sergei."
"And then we wait. The only sounds to break the intermittent silence are those of Sergei’s tortured groans and the shaking of the table beneath him."
""She is resting up now," he tells me. "She did a grand job of it, Alexei. Baby Nikolaev did not want to wait any longer.""
"He is my solace and I am his sun, and Franco is the entire universe around us."
""You are the only woman for me, my sweet," he tells me. "Even in death, I could never let you go. You are it for me. And I am so sorry that I did not show you before.""
"But I know now that if you just wake up every single day ready to do battle—ready to fight for what you have—then you have a real chance to hold onto it."
""My love for Franco is unending. And my mother’s simply was not. She was broken in a way that I could never truly be. I am not like her. I will never be like her.""