Closing his eyes tightly, he took a deep breath and stubbornly fought the way his chin wanted to quiver, the way his chest and throat tightened at her words and the sight of her tears. The last thing he'd ever wanted to do was hurt her, and that was exactly what he was doing right now. And while a part of him clung desperately to his anger, to the feelings of betrayal, he wanted nothing more than to believe what she was telling him.

The breath stuck in his throat when he exhaled and opened his eyes again, his voice relatively calm by some miracle. "If you have no intention of marrying him, then why does your family still believe you will, hm? If you never agreed to it, then why did he think he could get away with kissing you? Why haven't you told your family that you don't want to marry him, when they obviously think the match is already made? Who's your plan B here, me, or him?"