Chelsea

“The three of them sit there silently for a moment, thinking of small but profound inheritances. Of how untold stories shape people's lives, both when they are withheld and when they are revealed.”
― Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake

“The trauma someone else created is not your fault, but dealing with it is your responsibility.”
― Jen Hatmaker, Awake: A Memoir

“And this is what I need you two to understand: You have always known who I am. Who I am is your mother. This is the truest part of me.”
― Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake

“You want an ending," she says. "Then take my life when I am done with it. You can have my soul when I don't want it anymore."

The shadow tips his head, suddenly intrigued.

A smile - just like the smile in her drawings, askance, and full of secrets - crosses his mouth. And then he pulls her to him. A lover's embrace. he is smoke and skin, air and bone, and when his mouth presses against hers, the first thing she tastes is the turning of the seasons, the moment when dusk gives way to night. And then his kiss deepens. His teeth skim her bottom lip, and there is pain in the pleasure, followed by the copper taste of blood on her tongue.”
― V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue