I made my way toward the elevator, feeling lighter with each step. Shockingly, the loss of my massive inheritance was the most liberating thing I’d ever experienced. I hadn’t expected to walk away from it. But the realization that I no longer had to be tethered to Richard made me want to run through the streets and sing it from the rooftops.

Why hadn’t I thought of just walking away sooner? It felt perfectly natural to do so. It had been such a deep source of pain in my ...