Page 91 of The Promise

“But it won’t always be, babe.”

While she stared ahead, Roman kept his eyes on her—examining her for cracks, Karine was sure. She dared to peek over at him, then, and he offered her a shrug that earned him a small smile in return.

“I’m sorry that we’re in a tricky situation, and I don’t want to leave you, Karine.”

“But you will leave.”

“And I will be back. That’s how it works.”

Right.

That’s how this works.

“It’s hard to think about what will come in the future when I’m still figuring out how to live in the present,” she admitted.

“I know.”

She turned to him and he took that opportunity to lean in to kiss her. Their mouths met, lips closed, soft and lingering. Every beat of her heart ached when he pulled away. He gave her chin a quick, loving squeeze and stood up.

“Take care of yourself, beautiful.”

“Call me?”

Roman winked. “As soon as I can, you know it.”

Karine didn’t stand up to watch him leave, but she did wave when he gave her one last look at the end of the path. Roman got in his car, and she was stuck staring at fading tail lights until they could no longer be seen. Karine still hadn’t moved. Not even when she heard Masha’s footsteps coming to a halt a few steps above her.

“What happens when he finds you? You know he’s looking for you,” she said.

If she’d been stabbed and her lungs punctured, it would have felt the same as Masha’s words. Karine quickly lost her air at the mention of Dima, not that Masha had been clear who she meant. She also didn’t need to.

Karine knew.

All too well.

“I don’t want to think about any of that right now,” she murmured. “Besides, Roman will keep me safe. I believe him.”

Masha walked down the steps until she stood across from Karine down below, forcing her to stare at the woman’s face.

“You made a promise,” Masha continued, but the sternness she tried to keep didn’t hide the quivering of her bottom lip as she fought to maintain her composure. “You accepted his proposal. That kind of pact lasts a lifetime. I know you’ve been afforded a level of ignorance, Karine, but that’s not going to fly anymore. You have to start thinking about the consequences of certain actions here. Haven’t you thought about it at all?”

What?

Karine met Masha’s stare, saying slowly, “It’s not like I had a choice. I couldn’t exactly refuse his proposal. It was forced on me. You know this, Masha. You were there. You think I wanted to marry him?”

She didn’t understand why Masha chose now to talk about Dima, and the marriage. Today of all days, when her heart had already taken a hit, and she still had tears in her eyes. It felt a little cruel.

Unnecessary, even.

“It doesn’t matter whether it was your free choice or not. The promise was made, and that means Dima is going to come after what he’s owed. He’s been raised in a world that’s told him it’s his right, Karine.”

Shaking her head, she refused to listen to anything else Masha said. Dima was a topic best left under lock and key—no one would force Karine to even think about that man if she didn’t want to.

“Are you even listening—do you understand?”

That condescension in Masha’s tone was where Karine drew the line.

“What is your problem?” she snapped at Masha.