I've always sort of wondered: If everyone else's opinion is what matters, then do you ever really have one of your own?

and another claimed it was inherited through a parent who was a carrier of the defective gene. I had always assumed the latter was the case with Claire. After all, surely a child who grew out of grief would be born with a heavy heart.

You know, the mind is a remarkable thing. Just because you can't see the wound doesn't mean it isn't hurting. It scars all the time, but it heals.

You live and let live, eventually that becomes enough.

A world that was crowded with people could still be a very lonely place.

It was one thing to sacrifice your own life for someone else's. It was another thing entirely to bring into the mix a third party - a third party who knew you, who trusted you implicitly.

What you notice is the loneliness. Daniel started to isolate himself, because it hurt less than being pushed away.