" As the summer weeks passed quietly, even the satisfaction of her teaching position dulled. She didn’t want to enter into the zest of life, to trust other people, to put herself and her decisions on the line again. The pain of rejection, of betrayal, of being taken advantage of, stung far too deeply, and any repetition must be avoided. "

― Erika Mathews , Surrender's Strength (Truth from Taerna, #3)