"I think..." Wu said, hesitating a moment as he wondered if perhaps he was overstepping his bounds. She seemed receptive to what he had to say, and Carmel had soundly defeated the idea that it was only courtesy keeping her speaking with him. And in the moment? That was good enough for him.
"I think you are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Carmel," Wu finally said. "The woman I see is not broken, not if you found the strength to do what you knew needed doing. Worn down, perhaps, but you strike me as someone who needs far more turmoil before you will yield." And seeing that for himself? Wu was determined to keep it from happening.