Elise finished speaking.

She simply sat there, watching Samuel in silence.

He was crumbling before her eyes, disbelief written across his face.

He struggled to maintain his composure.

Any loss of control would only bring more suffering.

Especially in a place like this.

The past twenty-four hours had taught him more about life than he ever wanted to know.

"Take care of yourself," Elise said, preparing to leave.

She had no other parting words for Samuel.

He was already pitiful enough.

Calling him pathetic seemed unnecessary now.

He faced prison time.

Public outrage toward his actions was overwhelming.

His family, already in crisis, could soon face bankruptcy.

When that happened, he would lose everything.

He would become the object of endless contempt.

The Mitchell family would shun him completely.

Such karmic retribution was sufficient.

Elise felt no need to add anything more.

As she stood to leave, Samuel suddenly spoke.

"Did you ever love me, Elise?"

Her lips pressed together in surprise.

Why would he ask this now, during their final meeting?

He had asked before, but she hadn't answered then.

His question had been fueled by anger at the time.

Now, he seemed genuinely earnest about wanting a response.

"Isn't it obvious?" Elise replied coolly.

"I'm not the type to work tirelessly day and night for someone I don't care about."

Samuel's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.

He knew.

There was no way he could have been ignorant of Elise's devotion.

But William's sudden appearance had left him humbled.

It made him doubt himself.

He kept making excuses for Elise's sudden rise to fame.

He insisted on believing she had always fooled around with other men.

He told himself she had never truly loved him.

It was his way of coping.

A way to convince himself he hadn't made a mistake by breaking up with her.

To tell himself he didn't regret it.

Yet he was the one who had let her down.

All for Sophia.

His head hung low.

For a long time, he couldn't bring himself to look up.

Then tears began to trickle from the corners of his eyes.

None of it mattered to Elise anymore.

There were no regrets to be had.

Whatever suffering Samuel would endure from now on had nothing to do with her.

She turned and walked away.

Finally free of him and everything connected to him.

Her steps felt light, almost breezy.

Her connection with Samuel had ended right then and there.

Suddenly, she paused.

Sophia was walking toward her.

Sophia seemed surprised to find Elise visiting Samuel.

Especially after everything he had done to hurt her.

But then understanding dawned on Sophia's face.

She must have thought Elise had come to laugh at Samuel's misfortune.

And what a joke he had become indeed.