It was a responsibility.
Your father wanted you to have security — not a gilded cage built with a woman who despised your own mother.
I canceled the transfer.
Whatever comes next depends entirely on what you do with your life from here.”
And then Emerson broke — no drama, no performance, just the deep sobs of a man who has finally understood he’s lost something no amount of money can buy back.
Chapter 16 — Free
In the months that followed, the story became the talk of society from Boston to New York.
Some said Rosalind had been needlessly ruthless, exposing Portia at the altar.
Others said Portia got off easy.
The truth was less theatrical and more painful than any of the gossip.