She blinked, shocked by the starkness of my confession. The contempt on her face wavered for a split second at the sight of my utter breakdown.
“I spent my entire youth convincing myself that the world was divided between those who dominate and those who are dominated,” I continued, my breath ragged, my chest burning. “My father died alone, destroying my entire family because he let himself be carried away by a stupid passion he couldn’t control. I promised myself I would never make his mistake, that my office would be my sanctuary, and that no one would ever have the power to make my hands tremble. And then… then you appeared. With your quiet efficiency, with your damn vanilla scent that lingered in the hallways, with the way you knew exactly what I needed before I even knew it myself. Y
