Chapter 58
Contains spoilersOverview
Scarlett avoids Lukas out of guilt for Penelope, but therapy exposes that the evasion serves no one. Coach Sima allows platform-only focus if she keeps 3 m synchro with Pen, and Mei’s approach builds Scarlett’s confidence. When Lukas confronts her, a tense, consensual power-exchange reconnection lays bare their feelings. He comforts her but leaves afterward, and Pac-12 meets begin.
Summary
In therapy, Scarlett jokes about Stockholm syndrome but admits she feels guilty about loving Lukas while Penelope is hurting. Sam challenges whether shielding Pen with a lie is kinder than telling the truth. Scarlett decides to wait it out, curling inward and focusing on training.
Coach Sima reluctantly approves a platform-only emphasis if Scarlett continues 3 m synchro with Pen. With Mei’s meticulous feedback, Scarlett’s confidence grows. The routine helps quiet her anxiety even as Pen’s pain keeps resurfacing.
On Saturday, Maryam announces Lukas’s arrival. Lukas immediately calls out Scarlett’s evasions and presses for honesty about their relationship. Scarlett proposes pulling back or keeping things strictly physical to spare Pen. Hurt and angry, Lukas pushes back, and they shift into a negotiated, intense D/s scene that remains consensual and controlled, reaffirming their trust despite the strain.
During and after, Scarlett breaks down, and Lukas names the truth she cannot say, then steadies and comforts her. He cleans her up, asks what she fears, tells her she’s fearless when it matters, kisses her forehead, and leaves.
In the aftermath, time moves forward: the following week, the Pac‑12 championships begin.
Who Appears
- Scarlett
Protagonist; feels guilty about Pen, avoids Lukas, trains platform-only, and reconnects with Lukas in a tense D/s scene.
- Lukas Blomqvist
Confronts Scarlett’s avoidance, rejects half-measures, leads a consensual power-exchange reconnection, comforts her, then leaves.
- Sam
Therapist; challenges Scarlett’s avoidance and the ethics of sparing Pen with a lie.
- Penelope (Pen)
Friend and synchro partner; heartbroken and clinging to hope about Lukas, prompting Scarlett’s guilt-driven distance.
- Coach Sima
Coach; agrees to platform-only focus if Scarlett keeps 3 m synchro with Pen.
- Mei
Advisor on platform training; her precise methods build Scarlett’s confidence.
- Maryam
Roommate; announces Lukas’s arrival and provides brief comic relief.