Page 86 of Silent Betrayal

I nod and turn to look out the window. The trees are all shedding their fall leaves now, but some still cling to the branches, making it look a little magical out there.

“The seasons are changing quickly now,” I comment as I watch a few more leaves fall to the ground.

“You know, when I was about twelve years old, my family moved to a new house that backs onto a forest, like this one. My parents told me about a trail out back that did a mile loop through the forest. I decided to run it every day for some fresh air and exercise. I took that same path every day for two years.

“It wasn’t the best path, full of fallen logs and narrow stretches, often scratching me up, but I didn’t miss a day of running unless I was sick. It got me in good shape for a fourteen year old.

“One day in the fall, on a day like today, I saw a giant buck walk across the path up ahead of me. When I got to where the deer had been, I decided to see if I could get a good look at it again and take a photo. I crept through the woods quietly, and after about thirty feet, I stumbled on another trail. I decided to see where it led and ended up at the most beautiful lake I’d ever seen. It was probably more of a large pond, really. But it was stunning. The deer was there drinking from the water peacefully.

“I decided to continue on the path and it wound the whole way around the lake. The path was clear and wide open and gave me an unobstructed view of the lake. I started taking that trail daily after that. Almost every day, I saw some sort of wildlife. I was also able to increase my speeds thanks to the even terrain and low risk of injury.

“The point is, I hadn’t gone out there looking for a different path, but I was distracted and ended up finding something so much better.” I turn to look at her and see her watching me intently. “Kitten, I might’ve started this journey for the wrong reasons, but finding you… that was my destination.”

She reaches forward and takes my hand in hers, giving me a tight-lipped smile.

“Mina, I’m so sorry for what I did and what I made the others do. I have no excuse, no reason for why I did it that you don’t already know. I was caught up in the case and didn’t stop to think about what us getting to know you under false pretenses would look like to you. I honestly didn’t even consider we’d done anything wrong until you figured it out.

“I don’t know if I was blinded by the case, or by you, but it doesn’t matter, it was wrong. I just hope you don’t hold it against the others, they care about you and it would crush them if you left them.”

I pull the large envelope out from where it’s tucked in the back of my pants, set it down in the space between us, and pull my hand back quickly, trying to hide how much I‘m shaking right now.

“This is for you. I want you to be safe and happy here, you deserve it. I need you to know you have a home here, if you want it. I want you to have everything you want.”

She stares at the envelope as I lick my lips nervously, wondering if I’ve said everything I need to. Finally, she reaches forward and picks it up, pulling the paper out as her eyes dance around the page. She flips to the next page and her eyes scan it before she flips to the next one.

Finally, her eyes meet mine and she frowns. “Dom, what is this?”

“I added your name to all our accounts. You now own an equal part of everything we have, our money, our business, the properties we own.”

“I—” she cuts herself off as she skims through the pages again before dropping her arms in her lap. She looks at me with confusion written all over her face. “I don’t understand. Why would you do this? Do you think I’m here for your money?”

“Baby, no,” I say, grabbing one of her hands and sandwiching it between mine. “I know you don’t care about money and material objects. That’s not what this is. It’s about you knowing that what we share withyou, it’s not just a fling or a relationship of convenience. We want you with us because we love you.

“I may have asked you to be my girlfriend already, but that word doesn’t even feel big enough for what you mean to me. You’re my heart, my life, my everything. I want to keep you close to me, to us, always. I’m not sure if you’ve realized this about me yet, but I like to be in control, in all aspects of my life. These papers,” I say, tapping the pages in her lap. “They are my way of making you a part of our family, our team. They are my way of controlling this situation, because when it comes to you, I feel like I’m completely out of control, and it’s driving me mad.”

“This might not be the best way to convince you to forgive me, telling you how possessive and controlling I am, especially when it comes to you, but you need to know what you’re agreeing to, if you ever decide to forgive me.”

“What do you mean by controlling?” she asks quietly, watching me stroke her fingers.

“I like to be in charge, I like to be the one to make the decisions. Whether it be making decisions for this family, or for a case… Or for you.”

“You want to control… me?” her wide eyes look up to meet mine.

“Sometimes, yes,” I tell her honestly. “But you would still be able to make decisions for yourself. For me, it’s more about controlling things that are important.”

“What would that even look like? I don’t really understand.”

“Have you ever heard of a dom-sub relationship before?” She shakes her head. “It stands for dominant and submissive. It’s a term used to describe the type of relationship I like to have with women. It’s about trust, more than anything. The kind of trust where you would let go completely, knowing I’ll always be there to catch you. It’s about meunderstanding what you need and want, sometimes before you even realize it yourself. And in return, you trust me to guide you through that.”

“You’ve had this kind of thing with other women?” she asks, not totally turned off by the idea.

“I’ve tried, but they’ve never fully trusted me to take care of them. It’s not just in the bedroom. It could be me telling you that you need to eat more vegetables because I see that you aren’t eating well. Or telling you, you need to go to bed early because I know you’re tired. You would trust that I’m not doing those things for the sake of control, I’m doing it because I want to take care of you.

“It’s not about power for the sake of power. It’s about care. I’d take on the responsibility of making sure you feel safe, secure, and completely free to be yourself. None of this is about taking away your choices. It’s about giving you a space where you can let go of the weight of the world because you know I’ll carry it for you. Women who truly enjoy this type of relationship love the feeling of letting go of all the worries and concerns that plague them daily, knowing their dom is there to take care of them.

“But the thing you need to remember is that nothing happens without your consent, ever. If this is something you think you’d want, in the bedroom we’d set boundaries, talk about everything, and if you ever felt uncomfortable or wanted to stop, that’s all that matters. You’d have as much power as I do in this dynamic, more really, because everything I do would be for you.

“For me, this is about creating a bond so strong that it feels unbreakable. It’s about showing you how much you mean to me by putting you first in every way. Protecting you, providing for you, and making sureyou always feel loved, valued, and cherished. And yeah, sometimes that might mean a little structure or guidance, but only in ways that make you feel safe and cared for.

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