"It is what you have displayed so far, human." He nods to himself, continuing his tirade without realizing how much his words are hurting me. "You are far too senseless and foolhardy. Your judgment leaves much to be desired. From now on, you are not allowed to do anything without my express permission," he decrees. And just like that, he's back to his usual overbearing self. Spine straight, hands behind his back, he preens around, satisfied with his tongue-lashing and the fact that he just made me feel like the scum of the earth. It's very clear what he thinks of me—that I'm stupid and reckless and I lack any judgment. I'm not worthy to be on the same team as him, let alone breathe the same air as him.

"Why are you here with me then? Why are we on the same team at all?" I ask, raising my eyes to look at him. I bring the back of my hand to my cheeks, wiping the moisture away. "If you think so little of me, why are we even doing this?"

"Because I am magnanimous enough to take care of you," he replies with a huff.

"Oh, wow. Lucky me," I say dryly.

"Indeed. You should consider yourself fortunate for having me by your side, human," he continues.

"No, thank you." I push my chin up. "You are not nice, Ze," I say, doing my best not to burst into tears. "You are a callous and mean man, and I don't want to listen to your vile words anymore."

He turns to me, his intense gaze finding mine as he crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back and daring me to speak further.

"You have no right to question my motives for participating in the game when you've never even told me yours," I continue, pointing a finger at him. "But most of all, how dare you question my love for my husband when you're not even capable of feeling it?"

Maybe I'm stooping a little too low with this jab, but it's his fault for bringing me to this point.

His eyes flare with a shadow of hurt at my words, but I don't stop.

"You are right about one thing. I am foolish but not for trying to save my husband. I'm foolish because I thought there might be something good in you. Silly me." I screw my face in disgust. "I thought you were misunderstood and that in spite of your unkind words, your intentions weren't bad. But I see I was wrong. You are just another bully and I will not stand for this treatment." I swallow, struggling to keep my bravado up. "I'll be civil to you until we get back to the complex, but after that I'm done."

His lips pull up.

"You will finally give up on the competition?" he asks, his tone oddly cheerful as if he didn't just hear me tell him how much I dislike him.