Yvonne had been right. Ruby needed her. But she didn’t think she was capable of walking home without collapsing into a puddle of sobs.

Her hands trembling, she took out her phone and called Yvonne.

Yvonne picked up instantly. “Ruby. Where are you?”

There was something comforting about Yvonne’s firm, steady voice. Ruby couldn’t stop her own voice from quivering when she finally spoke. “I’m at the park.”

“I’ll be right there. Don’t go anywhere. I won’t be long.”

Ruby hung up the phone. All she had to do was keep it together until Yvonne arrived, but the prospect seemed impossible. She felt so miserable and alone. She was glad there was no one else around. It was taking all her effort to keep the despair she felt from overwhelming her.

Yvonne arrived five minutes later, but it felt like so much longer. As soon as she spotted Ruby, she hurried over and pulled Ruby into her arms. The next thing Ruby knew, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

“You were right.” A tremor went through her. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Yvonne held her tightly. “I’m here. You’re all right.”

“Why do I feel like this? I’ve never felt so awful before.”

“I know. It’s just subdrop. You’ll start to feel better soon. Why don’t we go home so I can take care of you?”

Ruby sniffled. “I think I need a minute.”

“That’s okay. We have all the time in the world.”

Yvonne pulled Ruby down to sit on the bench, drawing her close again. Ruby closed her eyes and buried herself in Yvonne’s shoulder, letting everything she was feeling flow from her. Eventually, her tears dried up, and she stopped shaking, but she was still left with a hollow, sinking feeling in her chest.

She pulled away. “I’m so sorry for how I acted.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Yvonne said.

“I didn’t mean it. It wasn’t you that I was running away from. I don’t think you’d ever do anything to hurt me.”

“I know. And we don’t need to talk about this now. It can wait till later.”

“But I do want to talk about it,” Ruby said.

“Are you sure? All your emotions are heightened right now. It isn’t the best time to talk about something sensitive.”

“I’m sure. I need to tell you the truth.” Ruby drew in a slow, deep breath. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you.”

Yvonne was silent for a moment. “Is this about ‘him?’”

Ruby nodded. “He was a client. At least, he was at first. Then he became more.”

“You were in a relationship with him?”

“Yes. But not just any relationship.” Ruby hesitated. “He was my Dom.”

Yvonne’s lips tightened, a visible flash of anger behind her eyes.

“I know! All along, you thought I was new to this, and I let you think that. I lied to you, even after you told me over and over how important it was for us to be honest with each other. I’m sorry. I messed up, and I know it.”