“
Yes. I kept the magnet Atlas gave me when we were kids. Yes. I kept the journals. No, I didn’t tell you about my tattoo. Yes, I probably should have. And yes, I still love him. And I’ll love him until I die, because he was a huge part of my life. And yes, I’m sure that hurts you. But none of that gave you the right to do what you did to me. Even if you would have walked into my bedroom and caught us in bed together, you still would not have the right to lay a hand on me, you goddamn son of a bitch!
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
I know that you believe he loves you,and i'm sure he does. But he's not loving you the right way. He doesn't love you the way you deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you,he wouldn't allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That's the kind of love a woman deserves,Lily
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
When I think about Ryle hitting you… I get absurdly angry. Because I love him. I do. He’s been my best friend since we were kids. But I also hate him for not being better. Nothing you have done and nothing you could do would excuse any man’s hands on you out of anger. Remember that, Lily. You made the right choice by leaving that situation. You should never feel guilty for that. Pride is the only thing you should feel.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us #2))
“
I had that picture made the day after I took it," he says. "It's been in my apartment for months now, because you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and I wanted to look at it every single day."
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Does she know we live together?” I ask him. “Is she okay with that? I mean, we aren’t married. She goes to church every Sunday. Oh no, Ryle! What if your mother thinks I’m a blasphemous whore?”
Ryle nudges his head toward the apartment door and I spin around to see his mother standing in the doorway, a layer of shock on her face.
“Mother,” Ryle says. “Meet Lily. My blasphemous whore.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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It stops here, With me and you, It ends with us.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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Ryle," I say carefully. "Did you seriously just knock on twenty-nine doors so you could tell me that the thought of me is making your life hell and I should have sex with you so that you'll never have to think of me again? Are you
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
She grabs my hands and holds them while I cry. “Don’t be like me, Lily. I know that you believe he loves you, and I’m sure he does. But he’s not loving you the right way. He doesn’t love you the way you deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you, he wouldn’t allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That’s the kind of love a woman deserves, Lily.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
I'm a Pinterest whore.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
The patience he still owes me from all the times he had none
”
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Colleen Hoover
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I realize in this moment that the hardest part about ending an abusive relationship is that you aren't necessarily putting an end to the bad moments. The bad moments still rear their ugly heads every now and then. When you end an abusive relationship, it's the good moments you put an end to.
In our marriage, the few terrifying incidents were blanketed by so many good ones, but now that our marriage is over, the blanket has lifted and all I'm left with are the worst pieces of him. When our marriage was once full of heart and flesh that cushioned the skeleton, all that's left is the skeleton now. Sharp, bony edges that slice right through me.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2))
“
I know that you believe he loves you,and i'm sure he does. But he's not loving you the right way. He doesn't love you the way you deserve to be loved. I f Ryle truly loves you,he wouldn't allow you to take him back. H e would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That's the kind of love a woman deserves,Lily
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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He's a broken man, but he isn't broken because of me. He was broken before he met me. Sometimes people think if they love a broken person enough, they can be what finally repairs them, but the problem with that is the other person just ends up broken, too.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2))
“
My brother loves you, Lily. He loves you so much. You have changed his entire life and have made him someone that I never thought he could be. As his sister, I wish more than anything that you find a way to forgive him. But as your best friend, I have to tell you that if you take him back, I will never speak to you again.”
It takes a moment for her words to register, but when they do, I start sobbing.
She starts sobbing.
She wraps her arms around me and we cry over the mutual love we have for Ryle. We cry over how much we hate him right now.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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She grabs my hands and holds them while I cry. “Don’t be like me,
Lily. I know that you believe he loves you, and I’m sure he does. But
he’s not loving you the right way. He doesn’t love you the way you
deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you, he wouldn’t allow you to
take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so
that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That’s the kind
of love a woman deserves, Lily.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
If Ryle truly loves you, he wouldn’t allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That’s the kind of love a woman deserves, Lily.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Ich weis, dass du davon überzeugt bist, dass er sich liebt, und das tut er bestimmt auch. Aber er übt dich nicht auf die richtige Art- nicht so, wie du es verdienst. Würde Ryle dich richtig lieben, würde er nicht zulassen, dass du zu Ihm zurückkehrst, weil er nur so dafür sorgen kann, dass er dir wirklich nie wieder wehtut. Das wäre wahre Liebe Lily.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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Hello. My name is Lily Bloom, daughter of the late Andrew Bloom. Thank you for joining us today as we mourn his loss, I wanted to take a moment to honor his life by sharing with you five great things about my father. The first thing..." I look down at Ryle and shrug. "That's it." -pg 19
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
He slaps his hands on the counter and says, “Am I the first official customer?” Allysa hands him one of our flyers. “You have to actually buy something to be considered a customer.” Ryle glances over the flyer and then sets it back down on the counter. He walks to one of the displays and grabs a vase full of purple lilies. “I want these,” he says, setting them on the counter. I smile, wondering if he realizes he just picked lilies. Kind of ironic.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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Congratulations, Lily.” He turns and walks out of the store. As soon as the door closes behind him, Allysa is grabbing for the envelope. “Who in the hell is he sending flowers to?” she says as she pulls the card out. “Ryle doesn’t send flowers.” She reads the front of the card out loud. “Make it stop.” Holy shit. She stares at it for a moment, repeating the phrase. “Make it stop? What in the hell does that even mean?” she asks. I can’t take it another second. I grab the card from her and flip it over. She leans over and reads the back of it with me. “He is such an idiot,” she says with a laugh. “He wrote the address to our floral shop on the back.” She takes the card out of my hands. Wow. Ryle just bought me flowers. Not just any flower. He bought me a bouquet of lilies.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
I turn around and Ryle is pushing through the crowd on the other side of the room. “Lily, wait!” he yells, still trying to make his way over to me. My heart is erratic. He’s walking quickly, stepping around people, growing more frustrated with every person in his way. He finally reaches a break in the crowd and makes eye contact with me again. He holds my gaze as he marches toward me. He doesn’t slow down. Allysa has to step out of his way as he walks straight up to me. At first, I think he might kiss me, or at least give a rebuttal to everything I said to him upstairs. But instead, he does something I’m not at all prepared for. He scoops me up into his arms. “Ryle!” I yell, gripping him around the neck, afraid he might drop me. “Put me down!” He has an arm wrapped under my legs and one under my back. “I need to borrow Lily for the night,” he says to Devin. “That okay?
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
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So? Who’s the lucky guy?” “He’s…” My voice falters. This is all so weird. My chest is still constricted and my stomach is flipping, and I can’t tell if it’s leftover nerves from kissing Ryle or if it’s the presence of Atlas. “His name is Ryle. We met about a year ago.” I instantly regret saying we met that long ago. It makes it sound like Ryle and I have been dating that long and we aren’t even officially dating. “What about you? Married? Have a girlfriend?” I’m not sure if I’m asking to extend the conversation he started, or if I’m genuinely curious. “I do, actually. Her name is Cassie. We’ve been together almost a year now.” Heartburn. I think I have heartburn. A year? I place my hand on my chest and nod. “That’s good. You seem happy.” Does he seem happy? I have no idea. “Yeah. Well… I’m really glad I got to see you, Lily.” He turns around to walk away, but then spins and faces me again, his hands shoved in his back pockets. “I will say… I kind of wish this could have happened a year ago.” I wince at his words, trying not to let them penetrate. He turns and walks back toward the restaurant.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
I have two missed text messages from Ryle and one from my mother. Ryle: Hey. Naked Truth commencing in 3… 2… Ryle: I was worried that being in a relationship would add to my responsibilities. That’s why I’ve avoided them my whole life. I already have enough on my plate, and seeing the stress my parents’ marriage seemed to cause them, and the failed marriages of some of my friends, I wanted no part in something like that. But after tonight, I realized that maybe a lot of people are just doing it wrong. Because what’s happening between us doesn’t feel like a responsibility. It feels like a reward. And I’ll fall asleep wondering what I did to deserve it. I pull my phone to my chest and smile. Then I screenshot the text because I’m keeping it forever. I open up the third text message. Mom: A doctor, Lily? AND your own business? I want to be you when I grow up. I screen-shot that one, too.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Si Ryle en verdad te amara, no permitiría que lo aceptarás de nuevo. Tomaría la decisión de dejarte él mismo para saber por defecto que no podrá volver a lastimarte. Ese es la clase de amor que merece una mujer, Lily.
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Colleen Hoover
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If you don’t want to be with me . . . please tell me right now, Lily. Because when I saw you with him . . . that hurt. I never want to feel that again. And if it hurts this much now, I’m terrified to think of what it could do to me a year from now.” - Ryle
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Colleen Hoover
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His arm comes around my waist from behind. He slides a hand up my stomach and takes a firm hold of one of my breasts. His other hand feathers my shoulder as he moves the hair away from my neck.
I squeeze my eyes shut, just as his fingers begin to trace across my skin, up to my shoulder. He slowly runs his finger over the heart and a shudder runs over my whole body. His lips meet my skin, right over the tattoo, and then he sinks his teeth into me so hard, I scream.
I try to pull away from him, but he has such a tight grip on me he doesn’t even budge. The pain from his teeth piercing my collarbone rips through my shoulder and down my arm. I immediately start crying. Sobbing.
“Ryle, let me go,” I say, my voice pleading. “Please. Walk away.” His arms are cutting into mine as he holds me tightly from behind.
He spins me, but my eyes are still closed. I’m too scared to look at him. His hands are digging into my shoulders as he pushes me toward the bed. I start trying to fight him off of me, but it’s useless. He’s too strong for me. He’s angry. He’s hurt. And he’s not Ryle.
My back meets the bed and I frantically scoot back toward the headboard, trying to get away from him. “Why is he still here, Lily?” His voice isn’t as composed as it was in the kitchen. He’s really angry now. “He’s in everything. The magnet on the fridge. The journal in the box I found in our closet. The fucking tattoo on your body that used to be my favorite goddamn part of you!”
He’s on the bed now.
“Ryle,” I beg. “I can explain.” Tears streak down my temples and into my hair. “You’re angry. Please don’t hurt me, please. Walk away, and when you come back, I’ll explain.”
His hand grips my ankle and he yanks me until I’m beneath him. “I’m not angry, Lily,” he says, his voice disturbingly calm now. “I just think I haven’t proved to you how much I love you.” His body comes down against mine and he takes my wrists with one hand above my head, pressing them against the mattress.
“Ryle, please.” I’m sobbing, trying to push him off of me with any part of my body. “Get off me. Please.”
No, no, no, no.
“I love you, Lily,” he says, his words crashing against my cheek. “More than he ever did. Why can’t you see that?”
My fear folds in on itself, and I become diluted with rage. All I can see when I squeeze my eyes shut is my mother crying on our old living room couch; my father forcing himself on top of her. Hatred rips through me and I start screaming.
Ryle tries to muffle my screams with his mouth.
I bite down on his tongue.
His forehead comes crashing down against mine.
In an instant, all the pain fades as a blanket of darkness rolls over my eyes and consumes me.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Marshall looks at me with sincerity. "When I think about Ryle hitting you.... I get absurdly angry. Because I love him. I do. He's been my best friend since we were kids. But I also hate him for not being better. Nothing you have done and nothing you could do would excuse any man's hands on you out of anger. Remember that Lily. You made the right choice by leaving that situation. You should never feel guilty for that. Price is the only thing you should feel.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2))
“
can feel the tears begin to stream down my cheeks. I place my hands on top of his and shake my head. “I don’t want anyone else, Ryle. I only want you.” He forces the saddest smile I’ve ever seen on a human. He pulls me to him and holds me there. I wrap my arms around him as tight as I can as he presses his lips to the side of my head. “I love you, Lily. God, I love you.” I squeeze him tight, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “I love you, too.” I close my eyes and wish I could wash away the entire last two days.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
It breaks me. It rips me apart from the inside out. All my heart wants to do is wrap tightly around his.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him. My body is tired and weak, but it remembers him. My body remembers how his body can soothe everything I’m feeling. How his has a gentleness in it that my body has been craving for two months now.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Marshall looks at me with sincerity. "When I think about Ryle hitting you.... I get absurdly angry. Because I love him. I do. He's been my best friend since we were kids. But I also hate him for not being better. Nothing you have done and nothing you could do would excuse any man's hands on you out of anger. Remember that Lily. You made the right choice by leaving that situation. You should never feel guilty for that. Pride is the only thing you should feel.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2))
“
I love you,” he whispers against my mouth. His tongue sweeps softly against mine and it’s so wrong and so good and so painful. Before I know it, I’m on my back and he’s crawling on top of me. His touch is everything I need and everything I shouldn’t.
His hand wraps in my hair and in an instant, I’m transferred back to that night.
I’m in the kitchen, and his hand is tugging my hair so hard it hurts.
He brushes the hair from my face and in an instant, I’m transferred back to that night.
I’m standing in the doorway, and his hand is trailing across my shoulder, right before he bites into me with all the strength in his jaw.
His forehead rests gently against mine and in an instant, I’m transferred back to that night.
I’m on this same bed beneath him when he slams his head against mine so hard I have to get six stitches.
My body becomes unresponsive to his. The anger begins to roll back over me. His mouth stops moving against mine when he feels me freeze.
When he pulls back and looks down on me, I don’t even have to say anything. Our eyes, locked together, speak more naked truths than our mouths ever have. My eyes are telling his that I can no longer stand being touched by him. His eyes are telling mine that he already knows.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
We all have a limit. What we're willing to put up with before we break. When I married your father, I knew exactly what my limit was. But slowly... with every incident ... my limit was pushed a little more. And a little more. The first time your father hit me, he was immediately sorry. He swore it would never happen again. The second time he hit me, he was even more sorry. The third time it happened, it was more than a hit. It was a beating. And every single time, I took him back. But the fourth time, it was only a slap. And when that happened, I felt relieved. I remember thinking, 'At least he didn't beat me this time. This wasn't so bad.'"
She brings the napkin up to her eyes and says, "Every incident chips away at your limit. Every time you choose to stay, it makes the next time that much harder to leave. Eventually, you lose sight of your limit altogether, be cause you start to think, 'I've lasted five years now. What's five more?'"
She grabs my hands and holds them while I cry. "Don't be like me, Lily. I know that you believe he loves you, and I'm sure he does. But he's not loving you the right way. He doesn't love you the way you deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you, he wouldn't allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That's the kind of love a woman deserves, Lily.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Don’t be like me, Lily. I know that you believe he loves you, and I’m sure he does. But he’s not loving you the right way. He doesn’t love you the way you deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you, he wouldn’t allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That’s the kind of love a woman deserves, Lily.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Ryle looks over at me with a thoughtful expression. "Lily," he said pointedly. "There is no such thing as bad people. We're all just people who sometimes do bad things."
I open my mouth to respond, but his words strike me silent. We're all just people who sometimes do bad things. I guess that's true in a way. No one is exclusively bad, nor is anyone exclusively good. Some are just forced to work harder at suppressing the bad.
There is no such thing as bad people. We are all just people who do bad things.
”
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Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
Does she know we live together?" I ask him. "Is she okay with that? I mean, we aren't married. She goes to church every Sunday. Oh, no, Ryle! What if your mother thinks I'm a blasphemous whore?"
Ryle nudges his head toward the apartment door and I spin around to see his mother standing in the doorway, a layer of shock on her face.
"Mother," Ryle says. "Meet Lily, My blasphemous whore,"
Oh dear God.
His mother reaches for me and pulls me in for a hug, and her laughter is everything I need to get me through this moment.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))
“
I know that you believe he loves you, and I’m sure he does. But he’s not loving you the right way. He doesn’t love you the way you deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you, he wouldn’t allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That’s the kind of love a woman deserves, Lily.
”
”
Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1))