When I bargained with my father, I didn’t expect to lose my chance of getting out of the marriage he arranged for me. When I asked him for confirmation in case he was wrong, I heard the same answer repeatedly. Why did I fail to notice it? When he invited the couple for dinner in our home, I should have seen their intention. Why did I become so blind that night?

“Goodnight, Selena,” Lee said after he accompanied me up to the door of my bedroom. I knew it was already late, but I needed to do something to relieve my worries.

“Come inside,” I told him in a low...