"Dustin, I really was just being nice, you know? It's the Water Splash Festival—getting soaked is the whole point. How can you not see that? I'm so upset right now... Judy hasn't gotten too mad yet, so you should really just hurry up and say sorry to me while you still can..."
The crowd kept swelling.
Fingers pointed at the soaked outline below my waist, voices picking me apart.
"What a freak. Must be some kind of exhibitionist!"
"God, that's disgusting! Bet he did it on purpose so people would splash him! Creep!"
The chatter around us only deepened the satisfaction in Judy's eyes.
A wave of revulsion crawled through me.
Eight years. I'd turned down every arranged marriage my family offered—every single one—to stay with Judy. When the Henson family's business nearly collapsed three separate times, I went to my father on my knees so he'd bail them out. Earlier this year, she finally said yes to my proposal, and I thought the eight years had been worth every last thing I'd given up.
Then Howard James walked back into the country the very next day.
Everything changed after Howard came back.
I'd only agreed to take over the family's Meridian City branch to give Judy—to give us—one final chance.