Tundun

“Shame. That was their favorite tool. A tool to corrode me from the inside until I believed I could only accept whatever lot they threw at my bound feet. It didn't work. Despite their best efforts, I find myself worthy of happiness.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“Countless times, I watched my father turn my mother into a nervous wreck by simply transforming himself into a dark cloud of a presence. He wouldn't use any curses or shouts, but he'd set his bowl down a little too loudly, or slam doors a little too harshly. She'd step cautiously around him as if he were a bomb, worrying about her every move for fear of setting him off. Without uttering a single word, he'd teach her to twist herself into knots to prioritize his needs and wants, in some strangling hope of quelling the pressure in the house and returning things to normal.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“The world does not deserve my respect. It is not worthy of my kindness or compassion.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“I’m not sure what I expected; largely, I try not to expect anything at all. Life is empathetically disappointing to those who expect it to be otherwise.”
― Brittany Cavallaro, A Question of Holmes