They were not a family anymore. They were strangers. Tied together by chains, but they had rusted, and there was no hope for them to reconnect. Something had disappeared, and perhaps it was their sanity.

In hindsight, the grand hero ideal she always thought he encompassed chipped away and all that remained was a cheap imitation. He embodied everything she’d hidden from in her adolescence. Boyfriends, relationships, and sex all...

Expectations led to disappointments; in this family, expecting more than disappointment was the first mistake

Death was easy. Life was complicated.

She counted her blessings, rather than her misfortunes.

If she were honest, weakness should be masked at all times. Any weakness could, and would be exploited.

Love was always conditional: anyone who thought otherwise was a fool.

The debris of her married life was enough to sever the tie between reality and dreams, the fine line between desire and temptation. Where did she draw the line? When did she admit defeat and...

Her entire life was obeying orders. She’d left her Father behind, only to fall into the hands of another dictator. Was her life her own anymore, or was she a puppet on a string, dancing...