Please, hate me if you have to, never speak to me again, but don't settle for someone you don't love because I hurt you

- Katherine Allred

To my surprise, Nick reached under his shirt and pulled out the half-heart pendant. With his gaze fixed on mine, he slid the chain over my head. “No one should have to go through life with only half a heart,” he whispered.

- Katherine Allred, The Sweet Gum Tree

Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do because it's the right choice. But occasionally we have to put ourselves first.

- Katherine Allred, What Price Paradise

This isn’t a church social, Sweetheart. You aren’t going to be able to save me this time.

- Katherine Allred, The Sweet Gum Tree

Lies and half-truths hurt not only the liar, but the people they love most.

- Katherine Allred, The Sweet Gum Tree

You can’t turn love on and off like a light switch, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is wall it off, one brick at a time, until you’ve created an impenetrable fortress around your emotions. And once that fortress is built, you camouflage it so well that even you can’t see it anymore.

- Katherine Allred, The Sweet Gum Tree