"You work too hard, Lizzie," She remembered her mother telling her once. "You need to get out more and experience knew things."
"I just can't experience the things that you believe may hurt me in any way," Elizabeth had snapped, twisting her dark hair around her finger. "I can go on a vacation instead of make money to support myself, but I cannot start a family and have a life of my own.
That's what you want though," her eyes turned into ice, string her mother down coldly. "You want me to always need you and not be able to fend for myself. I'm not a kitten, mother! I am a lion. I am strong and independent and I am, or I used to be, happy. Until you took me from him I was happy."
Her mother had seemed completely and utterly shocked. Elizabeth figured the woman wasn't used to someone fighting back.
"I want you to be happy," Her mother had told her. "but I don't want you to leave me. I want you to need me."
"Mother I am not your only child!" Elizabeth groaned. "Three children still live under your roof. It is time to let me go. I love him, mother. Let me go."
"Viktor can not give you everything that your family can!" Her mother had yelled, her face morphing into a shade of deep red. "Blood is thicker than water."
"And love is thicker than blood," Elizabeth had said, exiting her mother's home for what she thought would be the last time.
"Do you want a refill of your coffee?" The pale, blonde waitress asked her.
Elizabeth shook her head, a single tear running down her cheek. "I'm fine, thank you." She sat in the middle of her favourite coffee shop and wondered why her mind always brought her to that place when she came here. She had plenty of other memories.
She also didn't know why she went to New York every time she wanted a decent cup of coffee, so anything seemed possible.
Just then, the little bell above the door rang as someone walked into the shop and another person spoke,
"Welcome to the Lion coffee shop."