Page 50 of The Marriage

“Of course, you don’t have to. You could eat with some of the others in the dining room, or you could eat outside if you want. Wherever you’d like. There are lots of little nooks around the place you are welcome to enjoy.”

With someone right at her back, she bet.

Sylvia had been helping Karine arrange her clothes in the wardrobe. Something that should have been done upon arrival, but Karine hadn’t touched her bags since she got there. Just seeing the bags was enough to make her want to rage all over again.

She still couldn’t get over how Roman had secretly packed all her things—even the beautiful clothes and shoes he’d bought her—at the hotel.

Without even considering asking her, he’d planned a future for Karine when her back was turned—maybe even when she lay naked and asleep beside him in their hotel room under the illusion of happiness.

It was the little details of betrayal that really got to her when she thought about it. And that was the thing ... here, all she could do was think about it.

The last thing she expected from the man she had agreed to marry—was oiliness. A man could be a lot of things, but she didn’t want one who was slick or slimy.

“I don’t think I want to eat with anybody else. I don’t want to meet anyone new,” she said, going back to her conversation—and plan—with the therapist.

Sylvia nodded. “Sure, you can eat outside. Do you want to look around the premises and decide where you’d like to sit by yourself?”

She had that pathetically hopeful look in her eyes. The same one Karine remembered seeing in Michelle’s too in the beginning. It was how she could tell they had their fingers figuratively crossed, hopeful that perhaps she was finally coming around.

God.

To what?

All these expectations they all had for her ... it was just too much. Karine hated it.

She never should have left Masha behind. She shouldn’t have agreed to Roman’s plan that night he convinced her to get into a car and drive to him.

Why could she so easily walk back through every single one of her mistakes?

Masha was the only person who truly understood her. In all the years they had spent together—she had never once tried to change who Karine was.

In fact, she’d still cared for her despite it.

“Yeah, maybe I should have a look,” Karine said with a nod. “Or go for a walk.”

Sylvia was pleased.

For a moment—her hands started to lift as though she might grab Karine and give her a hug, but she managed to stop herself in time.

Which was just as well.

She’d hate to start screaming today.

“Okay, yeah, that’s great. I can show you around. We can go now if you want.”

Karine smiled.

It was her first smile here, and it seemed to melt Sylvia’s heart by the way she beamed right back at the younger woman.

She couldn’t believe her luck.

Karine had news ...

There was no such thing.

“Let’s go,” Karine said, striding over to the door.

Sylvia came over to unlock it with her keycard. Depending on who was in the room, what hours of the day it was, or what might be happening in the rest of the wing, Karine had no real control over whether she could open the damn door.