No seriously, like therapist levels of perfect communication is not 1. Realistic and 2. Isn't even fun to read bc it just comes across as fake with no dimension.
Not to mention they do communicate pretty well when they do.
And not to mention this is literally a BDSM story... There's Gonna be rough fucking and sexy degradation!
And Richard has been in love with her from the beginning and even was the one to bring it all up.
Idk why people go to stories like this and then complain that it's going to be bdsm. Just read something else!

So people still like toxic relationships, but it's just reverse lol