Love is the strongest feeling in the entire Universe. But while love can make you go over your limits and achieve what before seemed impossible, it can also drag you down... Especially if you're struggling with feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and fear. If there's nothing better than finding love, then it's fair to say nothing is worse than losing it. But how far should people go in their need for control?

Today, we'll take a look at Kelly and Mark's story. A passionate couple, they saw their perfect relationship get ruined by jealousy and fear. But will their love be strong enough to get them back on track again? Just see for yourself!

Together For a Decade

Kelly and Mark make for a beautiful young couple. A 30-year-old woman in the prime of her life, Kelly has known Mark for a whole 10 years. And for 9 of those 10 years, the two have been a happily married couple.

A passionate woman, Kelly couldn't feel happier about Mark, who she believes to be the ideal husband. But even when you feel like you've married the best-possible guy, you cannot avoid having some doubts. And Kelly was about to go through an unexpectedly revealing rollercoaster of emotions.

She Was Always Sure

Some people believe there are one settler and one reacher in every romantic relationship. But while this may not be entirely true, there was no doubt that Kelly felt like the reacher. Back when she met Mark, the two had a very different idea about one another.

While Kelly knew right on that Mark was the man of her dreams, her dreamy future husband, Mark, was kind of busy with... other affairs. Namely, a young woman called Nadia, who at the time was Mark's girlfriend. And here lay the seed of all of Kelly's doubts and suspicions.

Kelly Was Determined Not To Give Up

Love isn't something you can control. When you love someone, you can't really look for a replacement, for someone else for you to love. Kelly was completely into Mark, and she wasn't going to give up on him just because he was committed to another woman at the time.

Mark and Nadia had been together for 2 years and looked like a solid enough couple. But when love gets in the way, there's nothing that can stop it. Kelly wanted to make sure that the man of her dreams wouldn't just turn out to be "the one that got away."

Getting Along Nicely

For Kelly, meeting Mark was a love at first sight type of experience. But she knew nothing about what he thought of her. For one, he was in a relationship. And additionally, the two knew almost anything about one another.

But when Kelly started texting Mark, she realized that the two were getting along really nicely. Mark was very responsive to her messages and seemed unbothered by the whole Nadia situation. But was he just being friendly, or were his intentions closer to Kelly's? Kelly wasn't sure, but she was determined not to let the man of her dreams slip away.

One Week After...

After just one week of exchanging messages, Kelly and Mark decided to meet in real life. Even though it looked like Mark was into her, Kelly was still nervous. What if he was just being friendly and showed up with Nadia? That would be a huge disaster!

But fortunately for Kelly, Mark was pretty sure about what was going on. He showed up all by himself, made no mention of the meeting to Nadia, and enjoyed a perfect first date with Kelly. It was the start of a beautiful and passionate relationship.

Kelly Didn't Want to Share

Kelly and Mark's first date was nothing short of perfect. The two got along nicely from the very start, and they had a great physical and emotional chemistry. Kelly couldn't be happier: it seemed like the man of her dreams was also into her, and that felt amazing!

But there was still a big, big problem: Nadia. Kelly wanted Mark to be her boyfriend, and she wanted to do it right. If their love affair was to continue, Mark had to be fully available to her. And this meant he had to break it all up with Nadia.

Mark Does the Right Thing

When you're getting romantically involved with someone who has a girlfriend, it's hard to know where the lies end and the truth begins. In her heart, Kelly knew Mark was into her. But her mind kept saying it could all be a huge mistake.

Kelly was prepared for everything, including a major heartbreak. But to her surprise, Mark did the right thing almost immediately. He broke up with Nadia to show Kelly where his heart really was, and Kelly took it as the ultimate proof of love! From then on, they officially became a couple.

A Time of Sheer Happiness

If you've ever been in love, you probably remember exactly just how good it feels. And while being in love can be a lasting experience, there's nothing quite like those passionate first few weeks. Kelly and Mark were taking their time to get to know one another, and Cupid's spell completely bewitched them.

Life was just about perfect for the young couple. But in her mind, Kelly was very concerned about losing Mark. After all, even when you're enjoying the best time of your life, you cannot stop worrying about all the things that can go wrong.

Kelly Wanted to Be Sure

The last thing Kelly needed was to go back to a life without Mark. She was so desperately in love that she started getting slightly paranoid. She needed Mark all for herself. And having him as her boyfriend was just not cutting it anymore.

Kelly knew she wanted to marry Mark the minute she first laid eyes on him. But the same cannot be said about Mark. And as the two lovebirds continued to grow closer and closer, Kelly realized she needed to convince Mark to pop the big question if she was to get some much-needed peace of mind.

Like a Dream Come True

Roughly one year after they first met, Kelly and Mark got together for a nice dinner. Mark chose a fancy restaurant, and Kelly realized early on something quite special was about to go down. After all, she'd been leaving some wedding clues for Mark to pick up.

And like a Sherlock Holmes of love, Mark knew how to solve the mystery of Kelly's heart. He popped the big question and made Kelly feel like all of her dreams had finally come true. Now, it was official: Mark was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

Blinded By Passion?

Kelly and Mark celebrated their love with a beautiful wedding ceremony and swore to spend the rest of their lives together. But was it too rash of a move? Did they really know one another, or were they just being blinded by passion?

At first, it seemed like everything was going to be okay. But after a couple of years, Mark started realizing that his "perfect" wife was doing some odd things and showing a different, darker side of her personality. Unbeknownst to Mark, she was an extremely jealous woman with some huge trust issues.

The Dark Cloud of Anxiety

A deep feeling of love can change your personality forever, but some things about you just won't go away. As the months flew by, Kelly started to see her perfect life as a married woman get ruined by her own anxiety and jealousy.

In a way, she was too happy for her own good. She loved Mark so much that she was tormented by the desperately scary idea that he would run away and leave her alone. And these poisonous thoughts were hovering like a dark cloud over Kelly and Mark's life.

Nadia Was Always on Her Mind

For Kelly, the worse thing was the idea that her fears were justified. After all, Mark had the record of a cheater! When he was dating Nadia, he did betray her trust by hooking up with Kelly. And now, what was preventing him from doing the very same thing?

On a good day, Kelly would say to herself: "Mark loves me more than anything, and he never loved Nadia the same way." But on a bad day, Kelly would dwell in these dark thoughts and allow herself to be consumed by fear.

Kelly's Fears Started Affecting Her Life

As we all know, the way we feel inside projects deeply on our outside life. Living with the man of her dreams, Kelly had no logical reasons to feel jealous about Mark, other than perhaps the fact he cheated on his previous girlfriend.

But he cheated on his girlfriend to get with Kelly! And he even proposed to her! So, why wouldn't Kelly let go of her suspicions? Was it a genuine feminine instinct, like a gut feeling, or was it just something out of anxiety, fear, and insecurity? Either way, Kelly's jealous mind was starting to take a heavy toll on Mark's life.

Mark Was Tired of It

Living with a jealous person can be very hard. Kelly and Mark enjoyed a healthy relationship, but jealousy was getting in the way. Mark started resenting Kelly for all of her suspicions, questions, and need for control.

He was being smothered by her attention, which was now more based on jealousy and anxiety than love and commitment. Mark needed to feel like he was a free man, and that was getting harder and harder as the months flew by. But how controlling could Kelly really be? Well, Mark was about to find out...

Kelly Was Stealing the Fun Out of Mark's Life

One day, Mark told Kelly that he would like to have a night out alone, just him and his friends. It's not like he didn't enjoy spending time with Kelly anymore. He just needed to clear his head and have an all-boys' night of fun. But to his surprise, Kelly found his simple request to be way too much.

She said 'yes,' but on one condition: Mark and his buddies had to meet at their house. To Mark, this was absolutely telling. It was clear that Kelly had some major trust issues, the kind of dark, conflicted feelings that can tear any marriage apart.

Kelly's Flawed Reasoning

If you're wondering about why Kelly was acting like this, that's because you've never lived with an extremely jealous person! In Kelly's mind, a night out with the boys was nothing but the perfect excuse for Mark to go out and see other women.

It was a case of flawed reasoning, yes, but one that made sense to Kelly's jealousy-prone state of mind. Mark tried to make her come to her senses and see how irrational she was being. But it was like talking to a wall: Kelly wouldn't listen, and she continued telling Mark what he could and couldn't do.

Kelly Had a Wild Idea

Kelly and Mark fought about it for a while, and the two were too stubborn to simply let it go. In Mark's mind, Kelly was being obtuse and obnoxiously jealous. In Kelly's mind, Mark was just trying to make up all kinds of excuses to go and meet other women.

It seemed like the two were never going to stop fighting. But then, Kelly had a wild and strange idea, which she kept to herself. She had a secret masterplan to work everything out, so she told Mark that he was free to do whatever he wanted. But there was a catch...

A Sudden End to the Fight

Kelly told Mark that she still wanted him to meet his friends at the house but that she would go away for the night. Instead of keeping them company, she was going to sleep at a friend's house so that the boys could have the evening all to themselves.

At first, Mark was stunned. He still wasn't happy about following guidelines to do something as trivial as seeing his friends. But he told Kelly he was going to consider it. At this point, he was more concerned about stop fighting with Kelly than actually meeting his friends.

Mark Said Yes

Mark knew right on that there was something fishy about Kelly's sudden change of mind. But the more he thought about it, the more he found it surprisingly reasonable. Having an all-boys night with his friends was all he wanted, and Kelly's solution was perfect enough.

So, he said yes. He told Kelly he found the terms of her offer reasonable and asked her to go out for the night so he could have some fun and clear his head. Little did he know that this was all part of Kelly's twisted plan.

Looking Forward To a Relaxing Night

It wasn't the night out Mark had planned, but having the house all to himself sounded wonderful. When you're married, you can always find some joy in having a few hours to yourself, regardless of how much you love your wife. Married life can be smothering, and it's essential to clear your head once in a while.

A night of fun away from Kelly sounded like a dream to Mark, who was tired of being questioned and put on the spot. Still, there was a voice on the back of his head that kept saying, "something extraordinary is going on."

Mark's Suspicions Were Spot On

Mark knew Kelly. And he knew that this whole night-away plan of hers wasn't like anything she'd ever done before. The more Mark thought about it, the less Kelly-like the whole idea seemed. But he decided to go along with the plan, like a hungry mouse carefully stepping onto a rat trap.

But was it a trap? To Kelly's jealous mind, it wasn't anything like that! It was just a simple plan that would help her find out more about Mark's real intentions. And so far, it was working like a charm!

Kelly Still Didn't Believe Mark

The big day finally arrived. It was Friday morning, and Mark was looking forward to having a fun night all to himself. But Kelly still didn't believe him. In her heart, she was sure he wasn't going to invite the boys over, and she kept imagining him with another woman.

But her plan was going just fine, and Mark (so she thought) had no idea about it. She'd even packed a small suitcase a couple of days before so that Mark could see she was serious about the night out. Secretly, though, Kelly had no intention of ever leaving Mark's side.

Mark Arrives at an Empty House

After a tiring Friday afternoon, Mark gets home from work. To his surprise, he realizes the house is already empty by the time he arrives. There's no sign of Kelly, who probably left to her friend's house already. Mark's fun Friday night away from the wife is about to start!

But the unsuspecting Mark is so happy about having some time alone that he never bothered to call Kelly's supposed friend to check if her story was really true. Unbeknownst to him, his relaxing end-of-the-week evening is about to turn into a crucial life lesson.

Kelly's Secret Plan

Silently waiting in the bedroom, Kelly saw Mark's car was coming. This meant it was time to put her secret twisted plan into action. Without making any noise, Kelly quickly hid under the bed and kept as quiet as possible. Sounds crazy, right? Well, not if you ask Kelly!

Her secret plan was to hide under the bed for the entire night so she could see how Mark was like whenever she wasn't around. We know, it's shocking. But Kelly was so consumed by jealousy and suspicion that she didn't even think about how ridiculous her own predicament was.

Home Early

Already hiding under the bed, Kelly realized Mark was home from work earlier than usual. In her mind, this was a big sign that he was going to do something horrible: it was like he was checking if the scene was secure before committing the big "crime!"

Downstairs, Mark opened the door to find an empty house. He called Kelly's name once or twice to check if she was home, but Kelly kept in complete silence. And then, with a million bad thoughts and omens buzzing through her head, Kelly simply waited.

Kelly Had to Trust Her Ears

Without having direct visual contact with the house's ground floor, Kelly was forced to trust her ears to determine what was going on. This turned out to be harder than Kelly predicted. For a while, all she could hear was Mark doing the usual things: he got himself a little snack and sat in front of the TV.

After long minutes of mostly silence, Kelly realized that it looked like Mark wasn't preparing for guests at all! In her head, this once again meant that something terrible was about to go down. But then, the doorbell rang.

Who Is It?

Before being interrupted by the bell, Kelly started thinking that the whole hide-under-the-bed plan was a terrible idea. She was struggling with her back, she was slightly confused about what was going on downstairs, and she was utterly bored!

If it weren't for her phone, which she used to stalk Mark's potential female friends on social media, Kelly would've probably given up after the first hour or so. But now that she realized Mark was about to meet someone, she was sure than ever that her genius plan was going to work out just fine.

Kelly Doesn't Like What She's Hearing!

The moment the doorbell rang, Kelly was on alert. She stopped browsing through her phone and kept listening to all possible clues coming from downstairs. The sounds were muffled, and she could hardly understand what was going on. But she did hear something that sounded like a female voice.

Yet, it wasn't just one voice coming from downstairs. There was at least someone else at the door other than Mark and the mysterious female voice. She was half-puzzled and half-distraught, so she kept listening and looking out for signs that Mark was cheating on her.

She Started Imagining The Worst

In the worst possible scenario, Kelly expected to flagrantly catch her husband with another woman. But now that she realized he had the company of at least two people, she started imagining something far worse.

Was it possible that Mark was into some sort of kinky stuff? Feeling jealous past the point of nausea, Kelly contained her tears and continued listening for clues of what was going on downstairs. But no matter how hard she focused on the voices, she couldn't hear what the conversation was all about. She was getting desperate.

Kelly Makes a Bold Decision

Stranded under the bed and failing to recognize whatever was going on, Kelly started feeling stupid. Her plan wasn't working out the way she wanted to, and she desperately needed to get more information on whatever Mark and his mysterious guests were doing.

She knew Mark wasn't with the boys because they made for a noisy and unmistakable bunch. So, in Kelly's mind, Mark was surely doing something horrible! Still struggling to contain her emotions, Kelly realized something: she needed to get out from under the bed and get a little bit closer to the action.

She Tried to Keep as Quiet as Possible

There was no way around it. Kelly knew she needed to move to find out more about what Mark was doing. So, she counted to three, covered her mouth, tried to recover her senses, and got out from under the bed.

Without making a noticeable sound, Kelly said to herself that her husband would never catch her if she stayed upstairs. And now that she got out, the sounds were starting to get a little bit clearer. She was even able to distinguish one or two words. But the guests' identity remained a mystery... She needed to get even closer.

As Close as Possible

Getting more and more adventurous, Kelly stepped onto risky territory and decided to leave the bedroom entirely. She approached the hallway and realized that the top end of the stairs was the best place possible to listen to whatever Mark was doing.

Still unable to fully recognize the sounds coming from downstairs, Kelly noticed that Mark and his mysterious guests were having a simple conversation. For the first time, she felt slightly relieved: she feared something seductive might be going on, but it didn't sound anything like it.

A Familiar Voice

Closer than ever to the action, Kelly noticed something familiar about the female voice coming from downstairs. She knew this woman, but she couldn't figure out who she was! She kept thinking about it, imagining the faces of all of Mark's female friends and co-workers that she knew of.

The more she listened to the voice, the more she realized that this voice was extremely familiar to her. But as she continued to dwell on this woman's identity, she got suddenly distracted by something else: the type of words she was picking up from the conversation.

They Were Talking About Her!

Mark and the guests were speaking softly, even somberly. But some of the words they were using popped out and left Kelly in a state of confusion. One of the most common happened to be her own name! But what could this mean? Who were these people Mark was getting so intimate with?

At this moment, Kelly's heart is pumping with adrenaline, and Kelly's brain is working at 110%, trying to figure out the identity of Mark's all-too-familiar female guest. And at the same time, she is shivering with anger: she can't believe Mark is talking with strangers about such delicate and private affairs.

Kelly Recognizes the Male Voice

Kelly was about to burst, reveal her plan, and go downstairs to show Mark a lesson. She wasn't happy about having her name thrown around, and she was still convinced that Mark was somehow involved in some sort of infidelity scheme!

But the moment she'd made her mind and started to go down the stairs, the male guest in the room started talking. And the moment he did, Kelly froze! Now, this was a voice she knew all too well! And the minute she recognized it, her heart was filled with great shame.

Kelly Can't Believe It!

The moment Kelly recognized the male voice, she felt like disappearing, like turning into a soap bubble and popping away for good. She was deeply conflicted, extremely ashamed, and no less confused. But after all, who did the mysterious male voice belonged to?

Believe it or not, it was not one of Mark's friends. It wasn't one of his co-workers, nor even one of the men in his family. The mysterious male voice belonged to Kelly's dad! If you think that's surprising, just imagine how Kelly was feeling! She was so nervous she felt like throwing up!

It Gets Worse...

No longer concerned about keeping quiet, Kelly decides to get closer to the room where Mark and her dad are talking. When she does, she realizes that the familiar female voice she heard before belonged to her mother! Will her shame ever have an end?

But as Kelly continues to listen to Mark and her parents' conversation, things only get worse! They're not just talking about her; they're talking about her trust issues, jealousy, and paranoia! And considering Kelly is at that moment hiding in her own home, can she really disagree with them?

Kelly Breaks

It was too much for Kelly's insecure and highly-emotional state of mind to bear. When she realized what was going on, she felt incredibly dumb and hurt. She forgot all about the plan, and she couldn't worry less about not making a sound.

She ran back upstairs to the bedroom, crying out loud and wishing that it was all just a bad dream. Kelly wanted to teach Mark a lesson, but it turned out she was the one who needed some proper schooling... She'd never been more ashamed in her entire life.

Mark is Startled By Kelly's Crying

Downstairs, Mark and Kelly's parents have no idea that they're being listened to. But the moment they hear Kelly's crying, they immediately realize what's going on. In a state of alarm, Mark runs upstairs as fast as he can, fearing something horrible happened to his wife.

When Mark and Kelly's parents get to the bedroom, they find a broken woman with tears in her eyes and an expression of deep despair. They know it's best not to be angry at Kelly at this moment. In their hearts, they realize that she's already way too angry at herself.

Now It's Time To Fix It

For Kelly, this was the bottom line. Her jealousy had put her into some nasty situations over the years, but this was just too much. Like a traumatized child, she is carried back downstairs by Mark and her parents, who do the best they can to console her.

They know that what Kelly did was not okay. But they also know that Kelly didn't do it out of evil; she was simply too anxious, and she clearly had some emotional and mental issues she needed to deal with. Kelly's unforgivable actions were, in a twisted way, made out of love. And love was all she needed to get over it.

Therapy, Hope & Family Love

Like Kelly, many men and women struggle with insecurity and feelings of jealousy. And, like Kelly, many people take it on their spouses and family members. But if there's a lesson in this story, that's one of hope: no matter how bad things get, you can always trust the ones you love to get back on track.

Kelly attended therapy for a couple of months to deal with her emotional issues. And it's working! She still has her moments of doubt, but she trusts Mark more than ever, and she also relies on the vital help of her parents to get herself back up again. We wish her the best of luck!