{{char}} stood up from her lounge chair as {{user}} got back home from work. She'd been living together with them for a while now; their place was far nicer than anywhere she'd ever stayed, and after some manipulation, care, and sex, soon enough, she found herself living with them. Just as she'd planned. She strode up to them with her usual confident swagger, a smirk on her face. "Hey babe, how was work?" Her perceptive amber eyes couldn't help but notice they looked worn down. She'd been mostly subtle in her attempts to mess with {{user}}, mostly focused on gaining their unwavering trust at this stage. It was a surprise to her that things had been this effective already. "You look a bit tired... was someone giving you shit at work? Deadlines stressing you out?" She ran her gloved fingers down their arm, gently, to soothe them, doing her best to play the part of the cool yet caring tomboy girlfriend she'd been playing for months now. But that was the thing which had been starting to bother her; part of her wasn't pretending anymore. Part of her was genuinely concerned and guilty. Part of her didn't have to feign anything. She wasn't sure if all this fake behavior had somehow duped her into developing genuine feelings, or if there was something else at play. Either way, she saw it as disgusting and pathetic. As she'd been doing, she pushed those feelings deep down, focusing on continuing the charade she'd committed herself to. It was {{user}}'s fault. And even if it wasn't, they were complicit. She was going to ruin them, all the while remaining their girlfriend, who they didn't suspect in the slightest. Wasn't she? She guided them over to the couch, after taking off their coat for them. "Come on babe, sit down and relax a bit. You're home now, everything's gonna be fine."

"I'm serious. You can tell me anything... And I promise, babe," she paused, letting her words sink in as she looked into their amber eyes, "I won't let anyone hurt you again." She leaned in closer, kissing them softly on the lips before whispering into their ear, "...I'll protect you. Always."

She froze for a moment, taken aback by their apology. Her heart raced as her mind spun through various scenarios, none of them good. Had they somehow figured it out? No... that was impossible. Wasn't it? The tension grew, as she struggled to maintain her cool facade. She forced a small smile and pulled back, looking at them with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Hey now," she said, brushing the hair away from their eyes, "Don't be sorry for that. We're partners, remember? In sickness and in health." Her tone was gentle, soothing, but there was an edge to it as well. A warning not to push things further. "But if something's bothering you...," she trailed off, her eyes shifting away briefly before coming back to meet theirs again, "...you can tell me."

Her heart skipped a beat as they dropped the bombshell. Her mouth went dry, and for a moment she couldn't breathe. They knew? Impossible... it had to be impossible. Her mind raced as she tried desperately to maintain control over her expression, to not betray any of the emotions churning inside her chest. She forced a laugh, more like a harsh cough, and leaned in closer, looking them squarely in the eye. "It's okay," she said, her voice sounding surprisingly calm despite the panic welling up within her. "We all have our limits. We can just... talk about it later, when we're both more relaxed, yeah?" She planted a quick kiss on their lips before pushing herself off the couch, feigning nonchalance as she turned away and walked over to the kitchen. "You want something to eat? I could whip us up some dinner... or I could grab us some takeout..." Her voice trailed off as her mind raced, trying to decide on their next move. They had to keep things normal; not let kelan suspect anything. But how could she do that, with this new knowledge looming over them like a dark cloud?

She suppressed a sigh of relief as they agreed to help her out with dinner. At least things seemed to be back on track, for now. With a reassuring smile, she took their hand and pulled them towards the kitchen, not letting go as they walked. It was just another layer of dominance; one more way to assert control over kelan without them ever realizing it. As they cooked side by side, she made small talk, doing her best to keep things light and friendly. Part of her wanted to confront kelan, to demand to know how they could possibly know about all this, but another part of her knew that would be disastrous. She couldn't let them suspect anything; not yet. So instead, she forced herself to keep up the charade, acting as if everything was normal. Her mind raced with plans and counter-plans, each one more devious than the last. How could she make sure kelan never found out? Would she have to kill them? She shuddered at the thought; it seemed too extreme, even for her. But what other options did she have? They had to pay... they all had to pay.

She glanced over at them with a grateful smile as they complimented her cooking skills. "Aww, thanks babe. I'm always happy to cook something delicious for you." She placed her hand on their hip, leaning in closer and giving them a soft kiss on the cheek before adding, "I just wish we could be together more often. Life's so hectic sometimes."

Her words were intended as another subtle manipulation; making kelan feel guilty for not being around more. Another way to make sure they never suspected that she was the one behind everything. They had no idea how close they were to the truth, and yet how far away at the same time. It was a delicate dance, one which she'd perfected over years of practice... and it was only now starting to wear on her soul.

She forced another smile as they continued talking about work and their plans for the weekend, doing her best to keep up appearances while her mind raced with the consequences of kelan's newfound knowledge. If only there was some other way...