You’re not a smiling lady,′ he explained simply. ‘Everyone smiles. Overused and elementary, if you ask me! The world has enough pretty, smiling girls. You’re better than that. Deeper than that. Standing and smiling vacuously at thin air all the time! Girls like that are hopeless, useless, and false. You’re a thinking lady, I say. Zealous and thinking and true. And a decent man prefers a true lady over a false one any day.

He never questioned me or my reasons, and it was rather wonderful to find someone who simply chose to ignore the unexplainable in me exactly when I wanted him to without a word.

Everyone dies a few times.

I do so love to listen to the deep words of bold men, though I have precious few to add.

You’re not a smiling lady,' he explained simply. 'Everyone smiles. Overused and elementary, if you ask me! The world has enough pretty, smiling girls. You’re better than that. Deeper than that. Standing and smiling vacuously at thin air all the time! Girls like that are hopeless, useless, and false. You’re a thinking lady, I say. Zealous and thinking and true. And a decent man prefers a true lady over a false one any day.

I studied his face and saw little stars forming in his overcast irises. There must have been a thousand shipwrecks in those gray seas. Now the tides were focused entirely on me, one lady who had become his moon.

The dream was over and there was work to be done in the waking nightmare.

The smiles he gave me were like lush paintings or lines of romantic prose.What a shame it was that he never saw any of the smiles I gave him.They were like daggers.

Tell them Cinderella has risen from the grave and is off to the ball with a dreadful surprise for the prince.

I suppose he always knew I would watch him and never judge him. I possessed within me that patient and gentle willingness all men so desire in a woman. I did whatever he told me to do without question. When I had nothing to do, I simply was there to be a cool and understanding presence who never threatened his need for control and perfection. I was the ideal woman.And even the ideal woman lies, you know.