My joy knew no bounds when Rosa didn't insist on my scarf. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone did.
Only a matter of time before my secret—my and Axel's secret got exposed.
NO.
I couldn't let Axel down like that. I needed to protect us. I needed to protect what we shared. Rosa might be too nonchalant to give a damn about my sudden interest in scarves, but Camilla…
Oh, Camilla might come poke-nosing soon. Moon Goddess, I beg of you; help me this time. Just this once.
The first handful of trash hit me in the face before I could even flinch.
A putrid mix of old food scraps, torn rags, and something that smelled far too much like rotten fish splattered across my cheek, dripping my skin like an insult that wouldn't wash away.
My body jerked, every nerve screaming in protest, but I didn't dare react. Rosa wanted a reaction. She wanted to see me squirm, to see me break.
I wouldn't give her that.
