Mariam

“Nothing was more exhausting than putting forth kindness and receiving indifference in return.”
― Nadine Brandes, Romanov

“I’d told him I was trying to forgive him. As I lay in the grass next to the spell that could rid me of heart pain, I realized that a part of forgiveness was accepting the things someone had done—and the pain that came with that—and moving on with love. Forgiveness was a personal battle that must always be fought in my heart. Daily. And though I was tired of running and surviving and fighting . . . I wasn’t ready to surrender that battle yet.”
― Nadine Brandes, Romanov

“All my life I was driven by the loyalty of caring for the people I loved...I was taught that nothing was more important than such care. But your family showed me differently. You cared equally as much about those you loved-you would do anything for them. But you also allowed yourselves to love...more. You loved your enemies. You loved your friends.”
― Nadine Brandes, Romanov

“I’d not mourn the lost good memories— I would apply them to my heart as a poultice every time it ached. That was what positive moments were for— to help heal the wounds of the future. As long as we chose to remember them.”
― Nadine Brandes, Romanov