The ones who came before had nothing to do with him. He's just the latest. [...] I think I can. He's the one who does all these things. Without him, the people he uses to torment her are just people, and he couldn't have hurt her directly, like he did when he took her. She would have been safe.
He's a monster, and I can't rely on him. But I've thought about it too many times to act as if he's wrong. I know myself better than that. A strong man wouldn't have let himself be convinced to let it go. He would have stuck to his convictions. He would have fought.