He held me until my breathing slowed.
Then he gently moved me behind him and turned toward Daniel.
The laughter around the pool gradually faded.
My father looked at my husband—the man who had promised to cherish me, the man who had just watched me struggle in the water while celebrating his own joke.
“Daniel,” he said.
His voice wasn’t loud, but every word carried.
Daniel straightened and attempted a nervous smile.
“Sir, come on. It was just a prank.”
My father looked at him for several seconds.
Then he asked a simple question.
“Did she tell you not to do this?”
Daniel glanced toward his friends.
“I mean, yes, but—”
“Did she tell you clearly that she would leave if you ever did it?”
Daniel’s smile disappeared.
He shifted his weight.
“She didn’t mean—”
“Did you promise her you wouldn’t?”
There was no laughter now.
Daniel looked down.
