The Unwanted Arranged Marriage
Fairmont ballroom threw a warm,
o be the happiest
agemen
le was as radiant as the diamond on her finger, a ring that had belonged to my grandmother. We greeted frie
ing was
it w
om, near the bar. A ripple of murmurs
Davis, Sarah
with a mix of alcohol and rage. He swayed on his feet,
loud, cutting through the polite ch
ncertainly. My hand ti
e doing?"
"Ethan, calm down. He's j
"to Sarah. The most wonderful, beautiful, a
uld hear the clink of ice in
, his eyes zeroing in on her. "N
unspoken embarrassment. This wasn't just a drunken mistake
shutting him down,
pleading. She took the bottle from his ha
ashed across my face, or the stunned expressions of our family and friends. Her
om, her arm around his waist,
the room, the spotlight now fee
er, his face a mask
a low, firm voice. "
rty-fifth birthday-which was in three days-I would have to honor the arrangement my grandfather had made years ago.
Sarah. I had convinced my family she was the
just a pub
minutes later, her
, reaching for my hand. "He's just..
e loves yo
d," she insisted, her eyes darting arou
. She wasn't defending my honor, she was managing her ow
ooking slightly more composed
as smooth, practiced. "I drank way too much. I don't know what I was
outstretched h
abbing his hand and
, false smile. "We know you are. Ethan's just a l
She drew a line in the sand, an
embarrassment, it all just drai
mpt to smooth things over, to pretend th
I
o say goodbye to my parents or our friends. I just walked out
my pocket. It was m
. "Your father has asked me to confirm your meeting wit
The choice had been made for me
," I said,