Page 54 of The Marriage

“No, we haven’t heard from him today,” Sylvia replied.

Sitting in the gardens next to the small fish ponds, Karine had a paper bag with a sandwich and a banana for her lunch. Sylvia was eating a protein bar beside her on the bench. She could have opted for something tastier—crepes had been on the brunch menu—but she only wanted easy today.

Karine had woken up that morning with the sudden urge to hear Roman’s voice. It was the first thing she asked when she laid eyes on Sylvia, and it hadn’t been far from her mind since.

However, he didn’t call.

When she asked Sylvia to find out why—she was told that he hadn’t called in over four days. He’d called repeatedly, several times an hour, for days. Then stopped without warning.

Because he’d given up—was he angry?

She didn’t know.

It broke her heart.

She couldn’t blame him for the silence—mostly. It wasn’t his fault. Karine didn’t feel like she deserved any better than that.

“I’m sure he’ll call soon. Your husband sounds like a busy man,” Sylvia continued.

Karine blinked away the hot sting of tears in the back of her eyelids. She could picture him standing right there in front of her, if she leaned over and stretched her hand out she was sure she’d be able to touch him.

Her imagination had always been vivid.

Far too real.

That was part of the problem.

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Karine replied, shrugging as her grip tightened on the paper bag. “He’s busy—he’s got a lot of things to deal with.”

“There you go. I’m sure he’ll call soon.”

Karine shook her head. “Or he’s too busy to deal with me. I’m a nuisance to him, I think. I keep fighting him, I’m always in the way. I don’t even know why he married me.”

Sylvia ate the last piece of her protein bar, then stuffed the wrapper in her jacket pocket. She gave Karine a look from the side as she said, “We talked about this already, didn’t we?” You shouldn’t doubt the positive things that happen to you because they happen for a good reason. Do you consider your husband to be a foolish man?”

She thought about that.

“Not usually.”

Sylvia grin. “All men have their moments. Do you consider him to be a liar?”

“He lied to get me here.”

“And that’s what hurts the worst.”

“Shouldn’t it?” Karine asked.

Syliva hummed under her breath. “You know the circumstances that found you here—did he have another way?”

She didn’t answer that.

The therapist seemed fine with her silence.

“You just have to trust him, and understand that he married you with good reason. He married you because he loves you, and it’s exactly what he wanted to do. That one thing can exist and be true outside of the other things he’s done, Karine. You can hate the sin, and love the sinner. They don’t have to be mutual or exclusive.”

Karine didn’t add the fact that Roman may also just have married her to keep her safe from Dima—so he couldn’t claim her as his property.

She’d rather believe Sylvia’s version instead of the poisonous doubts that constantly left Karine floating in uncertainty and pain.