“I will stare fear in the face,” Juliette promised quietly. “I will dare to love you, Roma Montagov, and if the city cuts me down for it, then so be it.”
“I will fight this war to love you, Juliette Cai. I will fight this feud to have you, because it was this feud that gave you to me, twisted as it is, and now I will take you away from it.”
“What are you afraid of?” Roma Montagov asked.
Juliette’s lips parted. She exhaled a short, abrupt breath. “The consequences,” she whispered, “of love in a city ruled by hate.”
“You think so intently of protecting me that you did not consider whether I wanted to be protected. I would have rather died knowing you are as you are than lived a long life thinking you cruel.”
“I am cruel.”
“You are not.”
Duygularından koptuğun zaman duyguların ortadan kalbolmaz, sana sadece hissetmiyormuşsun gibi gelir. Bir süre buza dokunduktan sonra elindeki hissizleşme gibi…
“Sana acımasızca davranan birisini düşünüp; bana nasıl böyle şeyler yapabilir diye tekrar üzülüyorsun belki de. Ancak acımasız insanlar, kendilerinden başka kimseyi düşünmez, diğer insanları önemsemez, önemsenecek bir şeymiş gibi görmez.”