"Why don't you give Pinja time to think it over?"

"I'd never hurt her- I want to help." Lek looked at Pinja. "I love you."

"You hardly know me, Lek." Pinja said, looking at her hands. There was a scar going across the inside of her fingers from when she managed to get a hand free for a few seconds and tried to grab the scissors. Pinja shuddered. "You've been kind and a friend but I don't like you that way... and I don't want to ever marry anyone."

Lek felt like his heart was being crushed.

"I want to help you." Lek considered letting her know he figured out that she was pregnant. He gave Millie a pleading look.

Why would Lek think marrying me would help- he knows! Pinja felt like she was going to throw up. She did not want him to know. She wanted to hide.

Millie sighed. "Lek, please honor Pinja's wishes."

Lek had been so sure Pinja would say yes, he did not want to do. He swallowed drily a few times.

"If you ever change your mind... I still want to marry you." Lek said, then fled the room. His eyes were filling with tears and he could hardly see but he shut the door behind himself as he went into the hall.

"He knows?" Pinja asked after Lek left. She could tell that Lek was hurt and felt bad for that, but was pretty sure things would have been worse for both of them in the long run if they got married.

"I did warn you that might have figured it out."

"I never wanted him to find that out." Pinja said.

"I know but I did say he knows the symptoms."

"Now things will never be the same with him." Pinja picked up the necklace and held it out to Millie. "He should get this back. After he stops thinking he needs to throw his life away for me he will find someone better for him."

"Lek can be very stubborn. I can attempt to give it back but he may well refuse it."

"I can't keep it. He has to take it back." Pinja said.

"I will do what I can, but no promises."

"I didn't want him to know." Pinja said again.

"I know," Millie whispered.

"Now he knows what happened to me. It was bad enough that he could see what they did to my face." Pinja fretted.

Millie sighed. She was pretty certain that everyone assumed that was what happened to every woman the raiders encountered.

"If you tell him it's going to be adopted maybe he won't think he has to help me." Pinja said, miserable that she could not just pretend the raiders had not hurt her this way. "And he'll take the jewel back."

"I can tell him but I don't think it will change how he feels. I suspect Lek has been harboring feelings for you for quite a while."

"What?" Pinja felt put out that Millie knew but never warned her of this before. "Wh- how could he? He's a good guy."

Millie of course had only just figured it out. "The heart wants what the heart wants," Millie said. "A person has no real choice in who their heart chooses."

"Even after he first me me I was already..." Pinja shook her head. "I never meant to lead him on. I tried to be very careful to not lead him or anyone on. I thought we could just be friends, that it would be safe because he's your brother."

"No one said you led hi on. My Uncle fell in love with my aunt the minute he lay eyes on her and she tried to push him away every chance she got."