Page 29 of The Marriage

Karine gritted her teeth.

Why was she being spoken to like she was a child? Did these people here assume she was incapable of having an adult conversation?

Karine jerked her face away from Sylvia to look out the window, hoping her displeasure and disinterest was finally crystal clear.

“It’s okay,” Sylvia said. “We don’t have to talk right now, either. There’s a button next to your bed, your door, and in your bathroom so you can reach a member of our staff at all times. Don’t hesitate to use it, okay? Anything you need.”

Karine almost laughed out loud at that.

Did she really want to know what Karine needed?

Free will.

A different life.

A future.

Roman.

She squeezed her eyes close to drive those thoughts away. She didn’t want to think about him. She wanted to forget about Roman, hoping that would help with the pain of his betrayal.

“Is there anything I can get you right now?” Sylvia continued.

Karine opened her eyes, narrowing them at the woman who was still smiling.

That only annoyed her more.

“Yeah, you can,” she said.

Sylvia brightened. “And what’s that?”

“You can fuck off.”

Karine rolled over, back facing the door.

That was that.

*

They came for her the next morning.

At least, she was grateful the staff gave her the night. Karine had spent the past twelve hours in relative peace, if one could consider the hellish state of her mind peaceful. Regardless, they left her alone other than stopping long enough at her door to leave a tray heaped with food. It did look good, but she couldn’t even force herself to move let alone eat.

Her room had everything she could possibly need, so technically, she had nothing to want for. And seemingly nothing to use should she want to end her misery. While it wasn’t a thought in her mind, really, Karine was disturbed by the rounded edges on every piece of furniture and how not one single thing could be moved. All of it was bolted down.

On the surface, the room seemed clean, modern and inviting. Like a standard hotel room, not cheap but not expensive, either. Except when she looked closer, the bright white walls meant to be welcoming were made of stone and felt like they were going to swallow her whole.

This was exactly the life she had led at her father’s home, too. Only with different walls and familiar faces keeping her company. He made sure she had everything to stay alive, which included a woman to care for her closely, and always under a watchful eye.

That wasn’t what Karine wanted anymore.

She wanted a life—to really live. Because hers thus far had seemed to consist of being a pawn someone else moved from here to there. Tiring, honestly. She wanted freedom, possibly even an adventure.

The man who said he would give it to her had been just another liar.

Karine spent the night oscillating between grief and rage—the constant rollercoaster was nearly too extreme for even her to manage. Except it never stopped. It didn’t give her the chance to get off the goddamn ride. She battled the voices in her head that were threatening to leap out. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep them at bay.

It would have been so much easier to just switch off.