Page 18 of The Marriage

Roman offered her his arm, and she took it as they walked to greet the others who had come to the doors in their basic black dresses that seemed strangely uniform.

The one said her name was Mel—she did seem sweet—and that she was one of the managers. Roman introduced the others to her, only giving her their first names.

Mel brought them into the lounge area that was innately serene while soft piano played somewhere from up above. There was something crisp in the air—something that had Karine breathing deeper the second time—that added to the space.

While Mel spoke—giving them a guided tour of the various rooms on the ground floor, Karine leaned towards Roman.

“This was a good call. I definitely need a massage. You’re a work out.”

The smile on his face was weak and almost half-hearted. That sinking pit in her stomach returned fast. Like he was keeping something from her.

“Don’t you like the place—you booked it,” she said, too quiet for their guide to hear.

Roman forced a happier expression on his face, shaking his head. “No. Of course, I don’t want to leave. This is good. It’s great, babe. We both need to relax a little, right?”

“Only if you want to.”

“I do,” he assured.

So, why didn’t it feel like it?

*

One of the final rooms on the ground floor that Mel brought them to was one she said could be used for meditation, and immediately Karine’s mood brightened.

She hadn’t meditated since she’d left the lodge in Vermont, opting to spend her mornings on top or underneath Roman. Not a bad trade, all in all. Even so, she still missed it.

“Maybe we can do it together. I can show you,” she said, turning to Roman. He looked apprehensive as she knew he would be, his feet stuck like cement to the ground even as she tugged on his hand. “Come on, it’ll be fun. There’s no wrong or right way of doing it. Either way, you’ll feel better after, I promise.”

Roman looked away from her, and Mel interjected their conversation.

“We have instructors and other residents who would be happy to join you in your meditation sessions,” she suggested.

Karine smiled politely but shook her head. “I didn’t come here to be around other people. Thanks, but it’s okay. We’re not staying long enough for that. And why do you call your guests residents?”

“We find people respond better to that than patien—”

“Karine, I don’t want to meditate,” Roman said abruptly, the firmness in his words startling her attention back to him.

Mel cleared her throat when she heard Karine say, “Okay, you don’t have to do it. Relax. We can just go to the spa. You booked something, right?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she looked over her shoulder to the only other person in the room for one. At first Mel’s confused gaze darted from Karine to Roman, but then she smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

When she thought Karine wasn’t still staring, the woman turned her glare back on Roman. It was like they had some secret between themselves that they were trying to communicate without words.

That’s when Karine got a feeling ...

One she didn’t like at all.

Putting a hand on Roman’s arm, she pulled him slightly toward the corner of the room for some semblance of privacy. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“Roman—”

“Babe, calm down,” he murmured.

Calm down?

That didn’t actually make her want to calm down.