Page 94 of The Agreement

Then, Dima’s voice had broken through the daze—she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. Except it was still just a dream.

Wasn’t it?

Roman kept talking, unaware of the fight happening inside Karine’s mind. “Dima went looking for you—he ordered me inside, and to meet with Maxim. This happened, Karine. I stood there, and looked at you. You can’t tell me I didn’t see what I saw and expect me to just believe it. That’s not how this shit works.”

It was the disbelief coating his anger that brought her back to reality with a bang. And also told her that he truly believed he was telling the truth—why would he lie?

But that meant—

She didn’t know what it meant.

Didn’t want to know.

The sudden urge to protect herself from the things he was saying came on swift, and punishing. Her words came out in a hiss when she pointed at him and said, “You’re lying.”

That had Roman’s brow dipping low—he watched again through heavy eyelids, careful and steady. If only that helped. If only it changed what he had already done.

When he came towards her again, a sound came out of Karine like she had never heard. The growl of a caged animal; the only warning she could muster for him to back off. Already, the tears tracked streaks down her cheeks. She couldn’t bother to wipe them away or hide the wetness. Even as Roman stood there, wary with his hands lifting like he might reach out to her, because she needed it. She bet she looked like it, too.

She had managed to be so strong in front of him. His very presence helped pull Karine out of her shell, if only to make her take what she wanted, damn the risks. Nonetheless, the flickers of her true self came through when she was with him. Everything else was only pretend. And dreams didn’t last forever.

The last thing she wanted was to break down in front of him, now.

Or ever, for that matter.

“Go,” she told him.

Roman didn’t move an inch. “Karine, I’m not lying. You have to know what I’m saying is true—why don’t you remember any of this? Is it the meds, or—”

“No.”

Her reply came out sharp, and high. Broken, too, because he dared to kneel down beside her on the floor. So close that she could reach out and hold him if she wanted to. A part of her really did. Another just wanted to shrink away. She knew he didn’t want to hold her, not now. He wanted something from her that she couldn’t give.

The flashing movie reel of images was back again, and worse than ever—the one she was convinced had only been a dream. Back in her room where she should be safe, but Dima followed her there.

It was so real that she could almost see him standing in the doorway when she glanced at it. The way her heart raced painfully, and she couldn’t quite catch her breath only compounded the fear—the false image.

He had called her Katee.

Why?

Karine’s mind stopped there.

Or the dream did.

She wasn’t really sure.

“Karine, this could be our only chance to help each other—talk to me,” Roman said gently, his palms turned up and open to her to take if she wanted. “I can’t help if I don’t know. What’s going on, babe? Tell me.”

Tell him what?

God.

She didn’t even know what to tell herself.

So all she said to him was, “Leave.”

Karine was convinced that soon enough, every cell of her body would disintegrate into nothingness. The edges of her vision had already started to blacken, and blur, but maybe that was just the tears. It didn’t matter. She didn’t want Roman here to watch it happen.