Before she could even realize what was happening, I raised my own hand and slapped her right back.
One. Two. Three. Four. And with the very last bit of my strength, a fifth hard slap landed square against her face.
Ema stumbled backward onto the grass, completely stunned. She cupped her bright red, stinging cheek with both hands and yelled at the top of her lungs, "You actually slapped me!"
The front door of the house flew open with a loud bang.
Desmond's parents had just walked out onto the porch, preparing to leave the estate, but they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Ema on the ground in tears. They ran over to her side as fast as they could, pushing past me.
Desmond’s father turned his head toward me, his face red with fury as he yelled, "Will you honestly never be
