He Chose Power, I Chose His Boss
"Lissy, don't say I didn't warn you. Do you really think a family as powerful as the Joplins will accept someone from your background? And a divorcee, at that.
"You'll end up with nothing and no one to turn to. But if that's how it plays out, you can always come to me. I'd be willing to move past everything. We did have ten years together, after all."
"Save it. I'd rather starve than beg you for help."
I left the café and glanced up at the sky. The heaviness in my chest that I'd carried for ages was finally gone.
I, Elise Thorne, was free at last.