She winced when he shouted at her, momentarily struck speechless again by the force of his anger. Part of her wanted to flee, but there was no way in hell she was going to walk away without a fight. She had to find a way to make him understand that she loved him, that she could never love anyone but him, and that she could never, ever love Trent. He was far too important for her to give up on, even when he was screaming at her to leave. It was far too easy to imagine the way Kamau must have told him, and the thought of him rubbing her supposed engagement in Jim's face turned the knife she was certain had pierced her heart. Losing him and knowing she'd hurt him was breaking her to pieces.

"If you saw him try to kiss me, then didn't you see that I didn't let him!? I turned my head away because I couldn't let him kiss me. I could never let anyone kiss me but you. I doubt he even wants to marry me, but it doesn't matter because I'm not marrying him! He's like a cousin to me. I could never, ever love him. And I'm not leaving until you listen to me, because I love you! I've never loved anyone but you."