"Quite the self-analysis," he said, quietly noting that she named the negative qualities first. He would never consider ambition and drive as negative, even if the context implied otherwise, but what hit home first were those three foremost adjectives.

Vain. Shallow. Self-centered.

So precise, so condemning. It was almost, he thought, as if the words had been drilled into her. As if someone had once wanted to convince her of these alleged flaws, as if to imply that she could not survive without them. He was skeptical of that notion.

"You still deserve good things, Bela."

He spoke this earnestly.

"No one is perfect -- and imperfection alone does not exclude personal happiness, I think."