Read the excerpt and answer the question. Though you were early forced from my arms, your image has been always riveted in my heart, from which neither time nor fortune have been able to remove it; so that, while the thoughts of your sufferings have damped my prosperity, they have mingled with adversity and increased its bitterness.

Which of the following best states the explicit meaning of this excerpt from Equiano’s autobiography?

He hopes that his sister is no longer suffering wherever she is.
He has grown increasingly bitter over time despite his being a free man.
He still cherishes the memories of the time spent with his sister in spite of all that transpired.
Being separated from his sister greatly affects him to this day no matter how much time had passed.