" My future stretched before me, lonely and bleak—a lifetime of servitude without hope of betterment. An unwanted tear welled up in the corner of my eye. I had learned to swallow them, inhaling sharply or blinking them away. But as I was alone, I let it trail down my cheek. "

― Sue Lynn Tan , Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom Duology, #1)