Little Hope

Lisa

Every passing second felt more awkward than the last, so much so that I was beginning to wonder if I really wanted Mark to be my personal bodyguard. He didn't speak to me, nor did he make efforts to further any conversation I tried to initiate. It was clear that he was still upset with my decisions, and he made no efforts in hiding his feelings.

"Aren't you going to speak to me? Are you just going to stand and watch me talk to myself all day?" I inquired in a frustrated tone, one that Mark seemed to take delight in. "Answer me Mark!" I screamed at him in anger, and only then did he turn to look at me properly.

"What do you want me to say to you Lisa? What?" He yelled back at me, only this time in a much softer voice. It was clear he respected my position in the palace, and was being cautious to avoid getting caught yelling at the Alpha's wife. "You chose this place over me, you chose him over me! What else do you want from me?"

I stared at Mark for a good minute, my mind running wild with thoughts of how dumb he was being right now. Couldn't he see that I was doing all of this for him? Why couldn't he just see past his own selfish wishes and try to understand what I was going through. He wasn't the one spending nights with the man that stole our happiness away, yet he complained the most. I was beginning to get annoyed by his lack of understanding, and that prompted me to stand up from where I sat, and slap Mark across the face.

"What is wrong with you?! Can't you see that I'm doing this for our sake?! Can't you see I'm doing all of this to keep you alive?! What on earth is wrong with you?!" I screamed at him with tears running down my eyes. Instead of showing remorse and trying to understand my position in the entire situation, Mark could only focus on the fact that I slapped him.

"This is a first, isn't it Lisa? You've never struck me before, but now you can do whatever you want. Is that why you chose him? Because of the luxury?!"

"Just stop it, Mark.." I pleaded with tears streaming down my cheeks. I reached out to hold him, but he made quick successive backward steps to keep away from me. "I love you Mark, all I want is for you to be happy—"

"Happy? You call this happy?!" He cutted in without restraints. "I can't be happy if I go to sleep every night wondering what you and that handsome bastard might be doing! I can't be happy watching you sit and smile at a man who's done nothing but embarrass me. I don't have a life if I'm not with you, so this life that you saved is meaningless, Lisa! Meaningless!"

Once again it was all about him and what he wanted. What about me? What about my own feelings? What about what I want? Why wouldn't he just ask me that one question, even if it's just once? Mark was not himself, and no matter how much I wanted to blame it on rage and jealousy, I couldn't help but feel that this might be a genuine part of him, one that I had simply not encountered yet because of circumstance.

"Leave me for a moment." I whispered as I fought to contain my flowing tears. It was already difficult being married to Klaus, I couldn't possibly bear the pain of being hated by the one man I loved.

Once again, Mark had completely misunderstood my intentions, and instead of giving me time to heal, he lashed out at me a second time.

"You're sending me away? Does my presence now irritate you, Lisa?" He walked closer, his eyes blazing red with rage and frustration as he stared into my scared ones. The man in front of me was no longer Mark, he was a completely different being, one that I couldn't recognize anymore.

"Mark stop..." My voice trailed off as he walked even closer.

"I won't stop Lisa! Not until you run away from this place with me. Why can't you see how bad I'm hurting?" His hand wrapped around my face calmly, and gently his thumb caressed my cheeks. He wiped my tears and consoled me with his touch, but despite the gentility that he portrayed, I could still see anger and jealousy in Mark's eyes.

"I love you Lisa, and I can't bear the thought of leaving you for another man. I just want us to be together forever.." Mark continued while he slowly inched closer and closer until our bodies were touching. I could feel the heat of his hard outline against my stomach, and his minty breath seductively lining the outline of my neck.

"We shouldn't..." I tried to argue, but my words faded into the hotness of the passion between us.

"Don't fight it, Lisa." Mark cautioned just before his lips met mine in a gentle embrace. His taste was just as I remembered, his lips were soft and gentle, and I wanted to remain in their embrace all day long. Mark's hands held my thigh, and slowly he deepened the kiss. His tongue explored the softness of my mouth while he would occasionally give me arousing lip bites.

"Mark stop..." I pleaded, but he didn't listen. Although we were confined in the safety of my room, I was still scared of us being caught. And worst of all, I was having sex with another man in my husband's room.

"Klaus!" His name rang in my head, and in that moment I began to compare his touch to Mark's, his feel, his kiss, I began to compare them all, and soon, the passion that Mark had kindled in me immediately died out.

I hastily gathered strength in my arms and managed to push Mark away, before taking a few steps away from him.

"We shouldn't be doing this, someone might see." I cautioned while I wiped away the wetness of his lips against mine.

"Someone might see? The room is locked Lisa, no one will see us. Klaus is not around to stop you, you're with me now, there's nothing to be afraid of." Mark explained in an eager tone as he made quick approaches towards me. I stretched an arm forward and stopped him with my hand, and that decision of mine had angered him more than ever before.

Mark's demeanor immediately changed, and I was immediately afraid for my life. There was untamed hunger in his eyes, and it seemed to grow every passing second. Although Mark hadn't made a move yet, I was tempted to scream out for help before he could move a muscle. His energy was nothing like it used to be, and staring at him now, all I could see was a stranger.

After glaring at me for three straight minutes, Mark finally managed to take a deep breath and immediately turned towards the door.

"Excuse me, my lady." He said in his formal tone before walking out the door.

I reflexively exhaled the air I had kept stored up in my lungs, and immediately broke down in tears. My life was crumbling every passing day, and there was nothing I could do to stop it from complete collapse. I was losing Mark, and there was no hope for Klaus and I. We were polar opposites, and came from two different worlds, thinking about a future with him was equivalent to living in my own world of fantasies.

"Why does it have to be me?" I questioned myself as I sobbed into my knees. I thought I had found happiness with Mark, but that happiness was slowly and steadily disappearing. Mark was the only reason I was still clinging onto hope, but now, it seemed like the hope I had was nearing exhaustion.