Love through it all

Chapter 2: The Last Straw

Mark's POV

I never thought I would reach this point. The man I am now; apathetic, resigned, emotionally numb, isn’t the man I once was when I first met Lenna. I used to think there was hope. I used to believe I could make this work, that with time, things would improve, that somehow, love would find its way into this cold, transactional marriage. But that was before I realized what I had been blind to all along.

The day I married Lenna, I thought I was living the dream. A beautiful wife, a perfect life, a love story straight out of a fairy-tale, or at least that’s what I convinced myself. In the beginning, her charm was intoxicating. She was everything I thought I wanted—elegant, refined, the epitome of grace. The whole world saw us as the perfect couple, and for a while, I allowed myself to believe the image we projected was real.

But the mask started to slip the moment we got back from our wedding reception. I remember it so clearly—the door closing behind us, the faint scent of her perfume lingering in the air, and the silence that filled the room. I was so eager to finally be alone with her, to start this new chapter of our life together, but when I turned to face her, I was met with something entirely different from what I expected.

She was distant, cold. Her smile had vanished, replaced with a look of utter indifference. I tried to engage her, but she dismissed me as though I were a stranger, as though I didn’t even exist to her. The woman I had just married, the woman I had prayed for, was nothing like the one I thought I knew.

That night, I asked her. No, I begged her. I pleaded to talk to me, to tell me what was wrong. And when she finally did, her words hit me like a slap in the face. She didn’t love me. She never had. She was forced into this marriage by her father, who threatened to disown her if she didn’t comply. My heart sank. The foundation of everything I thought I knew about her, about us, crumbled in an instant.

She didn’t want me. She didn’t want this life. I was nothing more than a stepping stone in her path, a man she could manipulate to get what she wanted. And I, like a fool, had been playing into her hands the entire time.

I didn’t know how to react. Part of me wanted to rage at her, to tell her that she didn’t deserve me, that I could never give her what she wanted. But another part of me, the part that still clung to some hope, wanted to fix things. I wanted to be the man who could win her heart, who could break through that cold exterior and show her that I was worth loving.

So, I tried. I really did. I threw myself into our marriage, thinking that with enough effort, with enough love, I could change her. I gave her everything she wanted, the flowers, the chocolates, the lavish gifts. I was the devoted husband, the man who could provide for her, care for her, but no matter what I did, she remained unmoved.

When I handed her the key to the SUV—the one she had been eyeing for months, the one I knew would make her smile, I thought I had finally found the key to her heart. But when I saw the look in her eyes, when I heard her scoff and belittle me in front of her friends, something inside me broke. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room, and I was left standing there, alone, holding onto a piece of my dignity that had already been shattered.

That was the last straw!

I was a fool to think I could change her. I was a fool to think I could make her love me. The woman I married, the woman who pretended to care, was nothing but a manipulative, self-serving shell of someone who saw me as nothing more than a tool to further her own agenda.

And now, with Jordan in the picture, I realize just how far she will go. Her behaviour isn’t about love. It’s about power. The way she looks at our son, the way she speaks to him, it’s all part of her game. She doesn’t care about him; she cares about what he can give her. The idea that she can use him to manipulate me, to control me, to finally have what she wants—it sickens me.

I’ve spent so long trying to make things work, trying to believe that I could fix our broken marriage, but I’ve finally come to a conclusion I should have reached long ago. I can’t change her!

I should have known from the start that this marriage was never about love. It was a business transaction. My company for her father’s connections, her family’s money. She was never mine to begin with. And no matter how much I try to care for her, to protect her, to give her everything she wants, it will never be enough. She will never change.

I’ve made my decision. I can’t keep living this lie. I can’t keep pretending that this marriage means anything to me. I’ll stay for Jordan, because he’s the only thing in this whole mess that truly matters to me. But Lenna? She’s nothing more than a stranger in my life now. She can have her image, her social media followers, her expensive car, her designer clothes but she won’t have me. Not anymore.

If it weren’t for Jordan, I would have already walked away. I would have cut her out of my life completely, even if it meant losing everything I’ve built. But as it stands, my son is the only thing that keeps me tied to this marriage. It’s a shame that it took me this long to see the truth. But I see it now. Lenna will never be the woman I hoped she would be. And I’m done trying to change her. Now, it’s just about surviving. It’s about protecting my son from the woman who doesn’t care about him.