Chapter 4

Lisa knew exactly where his low mood was coming from. It was probably tied to Annie’s engagement.

That thought only made the bitterness in her chest worse. She pushed his hand away and swung her legs off the bed. “I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.”

Mark didn’t say a word. He just reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back down.

“Mark, I don’t want to,” Lisa said. Even the corners of her eyes had turned red. “Can you at least respect me for once?”

“I’m your husband,” he shot back. “I have needs right now. Can’t you respect that?”

“When have I ever not let you do whatever you wanted?” she said. “Have I ever fought you?”

Their bodies were close, the position intimate, but the air between them had gone ice-cold.

Mark let out a short laugh, irritation darkening his eyes. “Lisa, is being with me really that painful for you?”

Lisa closed her eyes. Tears slipped down silently.

—

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

After a few seconds, Lisa got up and went to the guest room.

For the next few days, she slept there. Mark never came looking for her.

Soon, Saturday arrived, the day the Powell and Mendes families had arranged for the elders to meet.

Mark sent Lisa the time and place. But as the hour approached, Annie’s parents had already arrived, and Lisa was still nowhere to be seen.

Mark stood up calmly and straightened his cuffs. “I’ll call her.”

Annie rose as well. “I’ll go take a look.”

Mark stepped outside the restaurant and called, but no one answered.

Annie walked over and spoke softly. “Mark… does Lisa maybe have something against me?”

Mark suppressed the irritation in his chest and replied gently, “No. Don’t overthink it.”

“But I’m not happy,” Annie said, her eyes filling with tears. “Mark, I’m actually… a little scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Nick said that once we’re engaged, I should move into the Powell estate. But…” She paused, then looked up at him, her eyes full of dependence. “Mark, would you and Lisa be willing to move back too?”

Mark’s eyelid twitched.

He looked at Annie. His gaze softened, and after a brief pause, he nodded. “Okay.”

Lisa hadn’t even parked yet when she saw the scene.

The woman was smiling brightly, standing close to him, looking up at him like a bird seeking shelter. And Mark had lowered his head slightly, a faint smile at his lips, his eyes warm in a way she rarely saw.

Lisa parked the car and walked over.

“What took you so long?” Mark said, raising an eyebrow. “I thought something happened on the way. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

Her tone wasn’t pleasant either. “Traffic. My phone was on silent.”

She glanced at Annie, her gaze sharp.

Annie smiled gently. “Lisa, you’re here. That’s good. Let’s go in. Everyone’s waiting.”

Lisa said nothing more and walked into the restaurant first.

Annie and Mark followed a step behind. To anyone watching, they looked more like a married couple than she did.

Once everyone had arrived and exchanged pleasantries, the two families began discussing the engagement.

Lisa felt like an outsider. She kept her head down and focused on her food.

Then she heard Annie speak.

“I was thinking,” Annie said softly, “it’d be nice if Mark and Lisa moved back too. The house feels livelier when there are more people.”

Lisa’s head snapped up.

Back when she married Mark, it had been his idea to live separately from the Powell family house.

Honestly, for a newlywed couple, living on their own was obviously more comfortable and free.

Going back to the Powell estate?

Lisa had absolutely no desire to.

Luther was tolerable enough, but Jane was a stepmother. Nick was a half brother. And on top of that, there was Annie.

Annie was the woman he still carried in his heart .

Living under the same roof as her in the future?

The thought alone made Lisa’s chest tighten.

She couldn’t help looking at Mark.

Everyone was looking at him.

Lisa set her fork down.

Mark answered without the slightest hesitation. “Okay.”

Lisa frowned sharply.

He agreed?

Just like that?

Without even asking her?

If they moved back, that meant sharing a bedroom again.

Jane, of course, didn’t actually want Mark moving back. But after glancing at Lisa, she smiled. “That’s fine too. If Lisa gets pregnant, I can help take care of her.”

Pregnant?

The topic of having a child had already been discussed between her and Mark.

No, ‘discussed’ wasn’t the right word.

Mark had informed her, unilaterally.

No children for now.

So what exactly was Jane talking about?

Annie looked delighted. “Mark, if you and Lisa move back, I won’t be alone anymore. That’s wonderful.”

Of course it was.

Annie was the woman closest to his heart. How could he bring himself to refuse her?

And living under the same roof as Annie was probably something he’d secretly wished for anyway.

Lisa’s opinion didn’t matter at all.

Or rather, no one at the table cared what she thought.

She had no family background, no powerful connections, and a husband who wouldn’t stand up for her. Who would take her seriously?

Even if she said no, who would listen?

By the end of the meal, everyone except Lisa was perfectly satisfied.

As they were leaving, Annie looked up at Mark with a bright, affectionate smile. “Mark, move back soon, okay?”

Mark replied calmly, “Tomorrow.”

Lisa drew in a deep breath and headed toward her own car.

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Everyone else had already left. Only Mark remained.

His features were sharp, his expression flat as he looked at her. “Ride with me.”

“I drove myself,” Lisa said, pulling free. “And I don’t agree to moving. If you want to go back, that’s your choice. Why do I have to go with you?”

Once she returned to the estate, she would have no choice but to share a room with him again.

With so many people watching, she couldn’t possibly move into a guest room.

“Why?” Mark lowered his gaze. “Because I paid for your father’s surgery. Because I bought your family’s house…”

When he saw her face go deathly pale, he turned his head away. “Is that enough?”

Lisa’s fingers trembled. Somewhere deep inside, something collapsed completely.

She closed her eyes.

The word divorce surfaced in her mind, clear and firm.

She didn’t want to keep fighting for this marriage anymore.

After a long moment, she said, “That’s enough. You decide. I’ll move.”

She turned and walked away.

Mark stood there in the darkness, tall and unmoving, like a spear—straight, sharp, and unyielding.

When Lisa got home, she didn’t even feel like showering. More than anything, she didn’t want to run into Mark again.

She had been a top student since childhood, especially gifted in science. Her thinking was precise, her logic airtight.

Uncontrollable risks could usually be avoided.

But she couldn’t control her own heart.

She had known from the start that falling in love with Mark was a dead end. And yet, she had still lost herself to it.

Mark was exceptional in every way. On top of that, he had built a business empire that left people in awe.

A man like that—successful, powerful, magnetic—made it easy for women to lose their footing.

Lisa was no exception.

She did everything a good wife was supposed to do. She behaved, complied, stayed in her place.

And in the end… he still never looked at her.

Then it was time to give up completely. It was time to reclaim her own life.

She made her decision and shut herself into the guest room.

Maybe this was the last night she would ever have—her final taste of freedom, and her quiet act of resistance.

Early the next morning, the alarm dragged her out of sleep. She lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, before finally getting up to wash.

When she stepped out of the guest room, she found Mark still at home.

He had probably just come back from a morning run. He was wearing a gray tracksuit, his hair falling naturally over his forehead. Compared to his usual cold, untouchable CEO persona, he looked almost younger. Softer.

Lisa looked away.

“Pack your things this afternoon,” Mark said. “We’ll move over.”

That eager?

Of course. She was waiting for him.

“I’m busy this afternoon.” She saw him frown and added, “Tonight.”

“Do you need help?” he asked.

Lisa shook her head.

Mark didn’t say anything else and went upstairs.

After breakfast, Lisa headed to the institute. She had just sat down when someone poked their head in through the doorway.