"Didn't you know this all along?"
I didn't care that my voice cracked. I held the crumpled letter in my hands as I stood in the middle of the room. I looked at my parents and felt as though the walls, with their polished wood and elaborate bookcases, were closing in on me.
My mother lingered close to the window, avoiding my eyes, and my father sat in his armchair, rigid and motionless. No matter how much they denied it or made an excuse, the weight of their silence was deafening.
My mother finally murmured, "Eli," in a controlled voice that sounded like she was attempting to soothe a nervous animal. "It's not as easy as you believe."
"Easy?" I shot back, raising my voice. Under the guise of safeguarding our family, you arranged my marriage, but it was all a deception, wasn't it? You we
