"Stop it!" He grabbed my hands, squeezing them tightly between his, and forced me to walk until he cornered me against a wall. "What do you gain from hitting me? Will that help you avoid having your brand taken away?"
"Get off me!" I tried to pull away. "You're the one who led me to them, and now you want to redeem yourself. Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to believe you?"
"I brought you because I had no other choice," he replied, but I didn't believe him either. "One way or another, your father would have found you. It was better for you to meet in a place like this rather than being cornered alone in your apartment."
"Oh! And now you're going to tell me you're the hero of the story? Please!" I mocked him. "Spare me the theatrics, because I know perfectly well what trash you ar
