I Funded His Rise, He Funded My Ruin

Synopsis

I was Isabelle Sinclair, the only daughter of a wealthy merchant family in Rivergate. I fell in love with a struggling scholar named Edward Autumn. I supported him through years of study. First at the university, then as he sought patronage among the nobility, and finally as he climbed toward a position at court. Whatever he asked for, I gave without hesitation. His brilliance with words earned him a royal appointment, and he rose swiftly to become one of the king's most favoured men. True to his word, he married me. Only later did I learn the truth that he never loved me. He resented me. He despised me. He blamed me for tearing him away from his true love, Lily Hart, a courtesan at the Willow House. For years after our marriage, he spent his nights in the pleasure quarters, leaving me alone in a gilded cage, fading away in loneliness and grief. Then I woke up again, back at the moment he was thrown out of Willow House for lack of coin. I had silver coins brought out. Lily stepped in front of him, glaring at me with bitter eyes. "What, you think because you've got money, Mr. Autumn owes you gratitude? Don't fool yourself." I gave a light laugh and tossed the silver to the servant who'd been sent to throw him out. "Who said this was for him?"