Camilla, absolutely reveling in the drama, gave me a pointed look. "Axel, why are you wasting your time helping her?" She gestured at me like I was a stain on the ground. "Rosa is here. You don't need to be holding onto some pathetic—"
"I'm here for María José."
The words came sharply in contrast to the atmosphere in the air.
I jutted my neck up to look at him. He was watching Rosa with a bland expression, but there was an unmistakable finality in his tone.
Rosa dimmed her eyes. "…Why?"
Axel's gaze flickered to me, then back to her. "The butcher tried to take something that wasn't his. María José fought back."
Oh, gosh. He thought he was helping but he really was ruining things for him. How do I explain the cruelty of my father and siblings to him?
How do I make him understand that they DO NOT care? To save their face, they might even sell me off to the butcher.