Session 𝓞ne-Hundred

Session 100:

“The Half-Truths”

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“The Half-Truths”

There were no more phone calls from Monroe.

My phone showed the same number of calls as before.

She had gone silent.

I knew that was a bad thing.

I could already imagine her waiting for me back at her house.

But this time will be different.

This time, I’m demanding the truth from her.

Is she still manipulating me?

Or using cognitive reframing?

I was fully prepared to ask her the necessary questions, especially after what I just witnessed with Kaia.

Is that me, and I just can’t see it?

That’s the only question looping through my head as I sat quietly in the Uber, trying my best to keep it together.

I was determined to get answers—I wasn’t going to let her lead this conversation.

I’ve let her lead me like a lost puppy for too long.

My heart ticked just a little faster the moment the Uber approached the gates.

They immediately slid open to reveal the driveway, parting for the car I was in.

I knew it was my girlfriend.

She was watching.

I drew in a deep breath, the moment the car came to a smooth stop in front of the house.

“Have a good night,” I briefly mumbled to the guy, stepping out of the backseat.

“You too,” the man said.

Once I gently shut the car door, I walked towards the short front staircase.

I expected the tall front door to open on its own.

It didn’t.

But it was left unlocked.

The smell of freshly made pasta lingered in the air as I entered the house, making a pang of guilt eat away at me.

She made that for me.

Only to walk into that empty bathroom.

I quickly shook my head, knowing it was necessary.

I had to make sure Kaia was at least safe.

And I got to see what Monroe was capable of.

Why do I still feel bad?

I let out a deep sigh, slipping my Nikes off by the front door and walking down the familiar hallway toward the kitchen.

The delicious smell got more intense the further I walked.

And then—

I laid eyes on her.

Immediately.

She was leaning against one of the counters, her arms crossed precisely over her chest, and her blue eyes pinned on me immediately.

Her leather jacket was off now—she only wore the tight bodysuit and dark jeans.

Even her dark hair was tied back, her silky bangs framing the edges of her face.

I expected her to say something the moment I stepped into that kitchen.

But she didn’t.

She just stared at me.

I could tell she was trying to keep it together, at least by how rolled up her sleeves were.

“Do you feel better now?”

It should’ve sounded sarcastic.

But Monroe was far from it.

She sounded genuine?

I knew she was mad.

I could tell she was mad.

“No,” I decided to say, my dark eyes trailing her face. “No, I don’t feel better, Monroe. You broke her.”

“To prevent her from breaking you,” she calmly said, her tone rigid. “Or us.”

I shook my head, “You told me the half-truths would stop.”

“You told me you would always answer my phone calls,” Monroe didn’t hesitate to say, leaning away from the counter,

I blinked a few times, hating that she made a good point.

It threw me off the path I planned for this conversation.

“I’ve stopped being selective with the truth ever since I promised you I would, Liberty,” she spoke again, taking a step closer to me. “This is the one time I drew the line. I communicated that it was to protect you. I didn’t want you involved.”

I remained silent, trying to process her words and figure out my response at the same time.

I wanted to plan my words better.

I had to think smarter when it came to her.

“Perhaps I wouldn’t have minded telling you after some time, Liberty, but this was already a complex situation. The less you knew, the less you’re involved, the more protected you are from them,” she emphasized, and I knew who she was referring to.

Her parents.

“You should have told me that,” I unconsciously said, but I just wanted to get a word in. “All you said was you were protecting me.”

“Would more details have mattered?” Monroe asked me, taking another sharp step closer. “Or would you have snuck out of this house regardless? Climbing out of a second-story window? You could’ve gotten hurt, Liberty.”

I quickly shook my head when she came closer, trying not to let myself be sucked in so easily by her words.

“You did cognitive reframing on her,” I pointed out. “You made Kaia think she signed an NDA—that she’ll feel pain if I’m near her.”

“I preferred to remove our existence from her head altogether,” Monroe calmly murmured, stopping in front of me. “But that would’ve taken numerous sessions to achieve.”

Her words made shivers roll down my spine.

How unbothered she was by what she had done to Kaia.

I leaned away from her presence, unable to look at her.

Not with this question burning at the front of my mind.

I parted my lips, but I couldn’t get it out.

“Have,” I said, but that’s all I could force out.

It was barely a whisper, but I knew she heard me.

She remained silent because she heard me.

“Have you done… it on me?” I finally got out, my stare locked with the wall behind Monroe.

I couldn’t meet her blue eyes right now if my life depended on it.

“Excuse me?” Monroe said, the calmness quickly fading from her voice.

It made my eyes lock back with hers immediately.

And the look on her face alone was enough to make me draw in a deep breath.

“Ask me again. I need to hear you say this again, Liberty,” she said, dropping her crossed arms from her chest.

I blinked a few times. “Monroe—“

“No, ask me again,” she cut me short for once, her brows furrowed with offense.

I squeezed my hands together, glancing away from her as I said—

“Did you do it to me?”

“Be specific. Ask me again, Liberty,” Monroe insisted, and I could tell the question had hit a nerve.

I offended her.

I think… I hurt her feelings, too.

She looks hurt.

“Did you do cognitive reframing on me?” I finally forced out.

At this point, I knew the answer.

“No,” she firmly said, her hands twitching by her sides as she glanced away from me. “I would never do that to you, I—“

She suddenly cut herself short, drawing in the sharpest breath that it made me curious about her next words.

“You what?” I suddenly asked.

What was she going to say?

Monroe only shook her head, making me furrow my brows.

“Are you still manipulating me, Monroe?” I suddenly asked before I could think it through.

Her blue eyes locked with mine almost immediately, and somehow, I already knew the answer.

She is.

She’s still manipulating me.

“Liberty,” she said as soon as I took a step back.

“No,” I quickly said, not wanting to fall into her trap again. “I should leave—I need to think.”

“Leave?” Monroe echoed, following me past the kitchen. “You’re not leaving.”

“I am—I need to think about this,” I determined, knowing I was too wrapped up in all of this.

I need to take a step back.

“Liberty.”

I quickly pulled away from her hand that gently grabbed my shoulder.

She grabbed my waist anyway.

“No,” was all she said, firmly pulling me back against her body.

It made me inhale in a deep breath, trying not to let the warmth of her body, or the familiar smell of her floral perfume draw me in.

I leaned away from her. “We need space,” I said, attempting to pull away from her.

She took a few large steps past me, blocking me from walking further.

“We don’t need anything,” she emphasized with furrowed brows. “I don’t need it,” she clarified.

I leaned away from her when she reached for my cheek.

“No, you’re only going to draw me back in,” I quickly whispered, mostly to myself.

I don’t want space.

I don’t think I can physically sleep alone tonight.

I’m scared.

“Darling, let’s take a moment—“

“No. I’m leaving,” I said, trying to brush past her, even if I didn’t want to.

She grabbed my waist firmer this time, just enough to keep me in place for her.

It annoyingly sent a strike of heat through my body.

But I needed to focus.

“They’re in Seattle right now. You aren’t going anywhere without me,” Monroe bluntly said.

“So if they weren’t in town, I could leave? You wouldn’t care?” I purposely asked, wondering if she could truly just step back like that.

If she could detach from me as she has from every other arrangement.

“Of course I would care,” Monroe whispered, tilting her head. “When have I ever shown you I don’t care about you? I would do anything under the sun for you, Liberty.”

“Then let me leave,” I forced out, drawing in a deep breath at my determination.

Because suddenly I just want to hug her.

The way she’s looking at me right now, parted lips and furrowed brows—I want to hug her so tightly.

But I think space would help us right now.

I’ll come back, only once I can think on my own again.

It feels like she cut open my head and placed her brain in there with mine.

“Liberty,” Monroe whispered the moment I tried to step past her.

I kept fighting against her hold this time, determined to make it to that front door.

Then the strangest thing happened…

“Monroe,” I rushed out, blinking a few times when she stumbled down to her knees—

And wrapped her arms around my legs, full on clinging to me.

It made me freeze.

Yes, because I couldn’t move with her wrapped around my legs like this.

But also—

I didn’t want to.

I wasn’t sure if this was her manipulating me again to have me stay, and I didn’t even care.

All I could see was my Ro.

Not Monroe Leclair, daughter of Leon and Clarisse Leclair.

Or Dr. Leclair, the renowned hypnotherapist.

I saw Ro.

Ro Ro.

“Anything. I’ll do anything,” her voice muffled against my legs. “Don’t leave. Please don’t leave.”

I drew in a deep breath, feeling this pressure in my chest at her words.

How she was quite literally on her knees begging me not to leave.

I was speechless.

Entirely stuck, frozen.

And then I could hear her sniffle against me.

I swear, the moment she broke down against my legs, that was it.

All I could say was—

“Okay.”

Monroe only tightened her arms around me, refusing to peel herself away from my legs.

I swear I could see the child in her right now.

The little girl I saw in those pictures—specifically, the one of her clinging to her mother’s leg.

She was so vulnerable right now.

For me.

She let herself be vulnerable for me.

“I just-you can’t manipulate me anymore, Monroe. And I need you to tell me the truth even if you think it’s not good for me,” I said, reaching down to gently caress the back of her head. “I need you to let me make decisions with you. I want us to be a team, baby.”

I heard her hum weakly, and I knew she was trying.

I could tell she was locked away in her head.

“Control,” I heard her say, the word weak from her lips. “I need control. I made these decisions tonight because my parents—they make me feel…” she trailed off.

“Out of control. Helpless. I know, baby,” I whispered softly, gently scratching her head to help her relax further. “I’m sorry I snuck out. I made this all worse for you.”

“It’s okay,” was all she said, and I knew it wasn’t.

She wanted it to be for me, but I knew deep down inside she was struggling really badly right now.

“Maybe we could use that cognitive reframing on your parents. Then you would have more control,” I suggested, hoping to help her through this better.

“I would’ve already done that if it were that easy,” she whispered, sinking further down against the ground. “They have to let their guard down. They have to be mentally weak, and neither of them is,” she briefly explained, “I’ve had to reject cases that involved mentally sharp subjects. It’s not possible without years of work, and even then, there’s no guarantee that it would be effective.”

I remained silent, processing her words.

I understand her point.

If it were possible, she would’ve already handled her parents.

But it’s not.

“And Maricel?” I unconsciously asked, now wondering more about her. “Why didn’t you use that on her instead of… you know?”

“Because she wasn’t someone you cared about,” Monroe spoke bluntly. “That’s how I was always taught to remove problems. There is no magical solution. It always backfires down the line.”

I pursed my lips together, realizing she had tried to take the lighter route for me.

Even if it was still drastic in my eyes.

“Now, I’ll have to constantly upkeep the reframing I planted in Kaia’s mind,” Monroe sighed deeply. “It’s all very meticulous. It takes years of work to make it all stick without further upkeep.”

I let out a deep sigh, trying my best to process her words.

“Thank you for choosing the better route for me,” I decided to say, trying to focus on that small detail.

I knew it was insane of me, but the Monroe I knew months ago wouldn’t have gone for any of this.

She would’ve killed Kaia without a further thought.

“Anything for you,” my girlfriend mumbled again, as if it were genuinely something she believed in.

Like a faith or something.

She would do anything for me.

Whether I liked it or not, I’m completely in love with this woman.

“And anything for you,” I repeated back to her. “How about I give you that control you need, baby? We can go up to your bedroom, and you can grab all the toys you want from that closet.”

Monroe shook her head, making something deflate inside of me.

Did I break her?

“Can we hug, darling?” Monroe suddenly asked, finally glancing up to meet my stare.

“Of course, yes,” I didn’t hesitate to say, “Did you want me to get down there or,” I paused with a tilted head.

“Get down here,” Monroe answered simply.

And I didn’t hesitate to scramble down to the ground with her, wrapping my arms and legs around her body as I shifted onto her lap.

Monroe didn’t hesitate to pull me flush against her body, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

Her breathing was soft and warm against my neck, anchoring me to this moment.

I rubbed slow circles into the back of her shirt, letting her stay there as long as she wanted.

Except she didn’t just stay there.

Her lips moved, pressing the softest kisses against my neck.

I naturally tilted my head back to give her more room, the heat pooling low in my stomach.

“Ro,” I whispered, but she only hummed against my skin.

Her hands slid up my sides and under my shirt.

Her palms were so warm that it made me shiver.

She always feels perfect against.

I was only ever meant to be touched by her.

Monroe lifted her head just enough to meet my stare, and I swear I nearly melted into those blue eyes of hers.

She tilted her head just enough, leaning into press her soft lips against mine.

Slow and steady—like she was trying to communicate something to me.

The kiss deepened when I tugged at her collar to pull her closer, refusing to let there be any space between us.

It didn’t take long for Monroe to lower me gently onto the rug beneath us, hovering above me as her lips pressed back to my neck.

Every touch was patient and deliberate.

Almost like she was mapping me out with her lips and hands—like I was the only thing grounding her in this entire house.

I didn’t feel manipulated anymore.

I didn’t feel controlled either.

I felt… chosen by her.

She chose me.

I’m the one she let in.

Her fingers laced with mine and pinned them lightly above my head, her eyes locked on me with something burning so deeply behind them.

“I get you,” she whispered, her voice low, almost fragile, before kissing me again.

It was slower—deeper.

Until I melted under her completely.

“I get you too, always,” I whispered back to her, my words tangled together and muffled against her lips.

My legs naturally parted for her hand that slipped between my thighs, and I genuinely couldn’t believe we were doing this.

At least on the floor of her front hallway.

I gasped, my chest curving up the moment I felt her smooth fingers pressed against me.

She caressed them up and down my folds, kissing my lips, whether I was able to find the strength to kiss her back right now.

All I could do was moan, shifting underneath her.

The moment she slid her fingers inside me, I was done for.

Monroe kept kissing me, pinning me in place to take everything she was giving me.

All I could do was breathe through it all.

I unconsciously met her halfway with each stroke, curving my hips up and down to deepen the feeling.

I could feel her right against me.

Right at my spot.

God, it was perfect.

It was one of those slow orgasms—the type that left me clinging to her as the pressure slowly built at my core.

I tried to grind quicker against her, but Monroe purposefully tightened her grip on my waist, keeping our pace slow just as she wanted.

I could feel the wetness underneath me, ruining a rug that was probably really fucking expensive.

I could also hear each wet stroke.

It made goosebumps tickle my skin, processing that it was me.

It was my body reacting to her.

“Yes-yes-yes,” I breathed out desperately, my eyes rolling to the back of my head as I treasured the peak I had finally hit. “Yes, Monroe. Oh my god.”

I whined when she purposely curled deeper into me.

I could feel myself pulsating around her fingers—how my orgasm washed over me with intention.

It went on and on for the longest seconds, making me moan and hum out of pleasure.

Even once I came back down from my high, I was still humming incoherently with a looseness weighing down my body.

I felt Monroe pull back from me slightly, but her fingers were still buried inside of me.

Especially when she met my stare and said—

“Now we can go up to my bedroom. I’ll find a few things in the closet.”

It sounded like a promise.

I knew what she was about to put me through would contrast this entire moment we just had.

It would be darker.

Probably the punishment she wanted to give me all along.