Karolinaâs run-in with the law? Jimmy Fallon had dedicated an entire opening monologue to it.
Anderson collected himselfâit wasnât easy to surprise the Silver Fox, and if the circumstances had been different, Karolina would have admired Graham for it. âYes, of course,â he said, his voice reflecting the gravitas of the situation. âIâm sure it hasnât been easy.â
âMost certainly not. My wife is very ill. Itâs taken me a long time to understand that alcoholism is an illness, but I do now. That said, she has had every opportunity to get helpâcertainly many more chances thanthe average American ever has, I recognize thatâbut still she continues on with this risky behavior. Iâve tried to help her for many years. If it were just me . . .â Graham allowed his voice to trail off, and the average viewer couldnât be blamed for thinking he was actually choked up.
It had felt difficult to move before, as if she were swimming in a resistance pool, but now Karolinaâs entire body felt paralyzed, and her brain had ceased processing certain words. Illness? Alcoholism? Risky behavior?
âIâm . . . sorry?â Anderson said, newly flustered. Had there ever in his entire career been a guestâa United States senator, no lessâwho had so willingly broached the subject of his deliciously salacious personal life?
âBut itâs not only about me. I have to consider my son. I would be remiss as a father if I allowed my romantic relationship to further put my child at risk.â
A howl escaped from Karolinaâs lips. Had she just made that noise? Had Graham just called their ten-year marriage his romantic relationship? And referred to Harry as his son and not theirs?
Anderson cleared his throat. He looked edgy, like a hunting lion about to strike. âAre you saying that your marriageââ
Graham clenched his hands together and stared solemnly at his lap. âYou make all sorts of exceptions for the people you love. But I no longer see a path forward for us.â
âI see,â Anderson said, although he clearly did not.
âDoes anyone remember you were talking about the fucking HartwellâConnolly Bill?â Karolina screamed.
It was as though Anderson heard her through the TV. He said, âI have to take a quick break, Senator. I hope youâll stay with me to discuss thisâand everything elseâin further detail?â
Graham nodded. âOf course, Anderson. Iâd be happy to.â
Her phone rang immediately. It was her former agent, Rebecca, the woman who had mentored her through all her top years of modeling. Karolina knew Rebecca always kept CNN running in the backgroundof her office, had done so for years, and clearly she was watching the Graham interview. As Karolina was debating whether or not to answer, it went to voicemail. A call from her aunt quickly followed. After sending that one and the next two directly to voicemail, Karolina switched off her phone. She yanked the covers to climb back in bed and almost sat directly on an apple-size spot of bright red blood. One glance down at her stained-through underwear confirmed it. How had she not even realized?
Sighing heavily, Karolina stripped in the bathroom, threw her soiled clothes into a sink full of cold water, and climbed into the shower. Although it required superhuman amounts of strength, she grudgingly scrubbed and shaved all the parts that needed attention and wrapped herself in a massive Frette bath sheet. It wasnât until she went to pull on a pair of fresh underwear and clean flannel PJ pants that she discovered she was fresh out of tampons.
âChrist,â she muttered, stuffing a wad of toilet paper in her underwear the way she used to do in middle school when she found herself without supplies.
It wasnât even five in the afternoon, but she was entirely alone: the caretaker couple had
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