Page 68 of The Marriage

Karine had taken it surprisingly well when he told her he was returning to New York. He decided to tell her the truth about Masha’s disappearance, as well, refusing to keep anything more from her. He wasn’t going to treat her the way she had been treated all her life—fragile, and easy overlooked.

She wasn’t a sensitive flower who couldn’t handle the breeze. Perhaps the way she dealt with her fears wasn’t the way someone else might want her to, but she was stronger than anyone knew. She’d been doing this for years.

He couldn’t forget that.

“I want to say there’s a good reason for her leaving—she’s probably freaking out because she doesn’t know where I am. You should have told her. Maybe she thinks she can come and find me. I don’t want to think she has bad intentions, Roman.”

“Then, don’t. I will.”

“But—”

No buts.

He’d do what she couldn’t.

Roman interrupted any argument from Karine by pulling her in for a kiss that left his chest aching with the need for breath. He kissed her long and hard, pinching her chin between his forefinger and thumb to keep her right where he wanted her while he licked the taste of his last breath off her lips.

She didn’t shy away from him, and he adored that. Her tongue moved over his, firm and sure in what she wanted. Despite the relationships she had with the men in her life—Karine always kissed him boldly.

Like she was showing the world ... he’s mine.

From the moment they first met, she had decided to take him. Even if he hadn’t known it then. He had no choice in the matter.

This instability between them—the constant coming and going—couldn’t be good for her mental health, even Sylvia said it. They didn’t know how his departure would affect her progress. Was he chipping away at her?

“I’m sorry,” he repeated again. “I’ll let you know how long you’ll be here, or at least when I’ll be back, as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Roman stilled. “Will you?”

“Here, yeah. I think so. I don’t want you to worry about me. You should be with your family now—focus on them, and what needs to be done there. I need you to do that first so that we can do this again soon,” she finished in a whisper, fisting his shirt in her balled hands, and pulling him close again.

Roman hadn’t believed he would hear those words from her mouth—for Karine truly understand why he had to do what he did.

He stroked her hair and she pressed herself further into him.

“Do you forgive me?” he asked, barely above a breath.

He didn’t want anyone else to hear it, anyway. This was meant for him and her alone. It was between them, and would always be.

“For what?”

“For this place. For bringing you here. For taking you to Vermont and Michelle. The therapists and doctors. The people constantly watching you. Any of it—all of it, Karine. I just ... wanted to know,” he said lamely, with a shrug.

Karine licked her lips and looked away. He wished she wouldn’t. “I know you’re trying to help me. Sometimes I don’t understand it, or it doesn’t really seem fair, but I know why. Your actions sometimes speak louder than your intentions when I don’t think they match, but I picked you, and I didn’t say you had to be perfect when I did it, Roman.”

“You tried to run once here.”

She laughed, shaking her head and glancing back at him with a twinkle in her eye. “You can’t lock someone up and think they won’t crave freedom—I still forgive you. I know why you did what you did.”

“The world is yours the second I make it safe for you.”

“And you want these people,” she said with a smirk, waving around them, “to tell you it’s safe for me to be out there, too.”

“That you can handle it, yeah.”

He kissed her forehead and pressed the tip of his nose to hers. Any bad days together would be worth it just to have a few good days like this with her.