Page 101 of The Promise

Taking her hands from her ears had consequences.

Her mind kind of broke, then.

All shattered into different pieces.

Sharp fragments. Never quite fitting back together the way they once did, but cutting her until she bled all the same when they tried.

“I’m so sorry,” she heard Roman say.

Karine was still staring out at the darkness that overlooked the lake. The memory had already begun to fade, but the effects remained burrowed deep in her heart, filling her chest with a heaviness that only seemed to spread.

“Nobody even knew it was him,” she said in a whisper. “Her death was just another excuse for my father to avoid, and—”

“You shouldn’t have had to see something like that.”

Maybe not.

“But that wasn’t the worst part, Roman.”

“Babe—just come to me. You don’t have to tell me this on the phone. Let Alec drive you to me, okay?”

It was too late.

That was the thing.

Karine had kept it secret for as long as she could ... there was no holding it back.

Maybe it was a noise that drew Dima’s attention to where Karine had been hiding in the closet. Either way, he’d found her there. Wild-looking, and bloodstained. Jeans shoved down his hips, and red staining his hands.

You.

That was all she remembered him saying. Well, that’s where her memories stopped altogether. The voice that answered the monster back when he’d thrown open those French doors was not her own.

“Pl-please don’t hurt me.”

The first words Katee ever spoke.

Regardless of how hard Karine tried, she couldn’t remember what happened next. Katee had simply decided those memories were hers to have.

Part of Karine was grateful.

The rest was terrified.

“Karine, listen to me—can you hear me?” Roman asked, the firm words forcing Karine to blink out of the blackhole welcoming her back to the safety of her fractured mind. The only place where she could hide. That day taught her that lesson. Her body might suffer, but her mind would be okay.

“Yes, I hear you.”

“You’re never going back there.”

He said it like it was true, but— “I don’t want to marry a monster.”

“Would you marry a man you love?”

Her brows furrowed in confusion

“I don’t understand,” she murmured.

“The only thing you need to do is get in the car with Alec and come to me. I’ll keep you safe, Karine. Just let me.”