The way he talked about Trent made her falter momentarily in her single-minded attempt to convince Jim that she loved only him. Of course Trent's attempted kiss was a bit of a wake-up call, but now her mind raced over the course of their acquaintance, and suddenly seemingly friendly touches and looks took on a different meaning. Her mouth went painfully dry, a slight chill of fear running down her spine at the idea of Trent thinking that she was his, that he had a right to kiss her, that he had a right to... The very thought made her stomach lurch nauseatingly. At one time, before Jim's touches, she had vaguely considered agreeing to the marriage, but now that she knew what it would entail she also knew with absolute certainty that it would never work. "I didn't know," she echoed. "We've been friends since childhood. I could never feel that way for him, so I assumed that he didn't either... I... I'm not his. I could never be his," she insisted, as much for herself as for him.

The next words made her eyes snap to Jim's. It had long been obvious to her that he'd lost a lot, that he had hurt more than anyone ever should. Trent was still an issue, but it was more than that. She'd gone into this relationship knowing they didn't have all the answers. Someday someone would find out. Images filled her mind of her father and brother's anger and disappointment, of her sisters and little Ikinya's hurt and confusion, but... But I love him. I will always love him. "You're not going to lose me, Jim," she said quietly, earnestly. "I don't know how to make my family accept it, but being with you makes me happy in a way I never knew I could be. I hate that I've hurt you. I never want to hurt you, but I don't know how to stop loving you. I don't know how to walk away from you."