"Your words don't give me any credit."
"I'm sorry about the way things happened, Akira. I am. But don't you think you might be happier if you could leave those hopes behind? It's not all over just because you didn't marry me. You have a chance at a family still, one you can find and build a future with. You could be happy."
"I'd be happy if… if…" his hands open and closed, clenching into fists. "If I could just… be with the woman I was supposed to be with!"
"Maybe that woman was never me."
"You think I don't know what I feel?" His face darkened, the brows knitting together dangerously. "You don't get to decide that for me."
"I just meant… maybe you're thinking I'm someone I'm not."
Akira was quiet for a moment. He turned and leaned back against the wall. "You've been courted before, right? By a man, perhaps one you thought to marry."
