Mark

Mark and Alice seemed the perfect couple when they celebrated their lavish wedding. She had barely turned eighteen, he was twenty. Mark was madly in love with his young wife, but he had been raised in the conservative traditions of a large clan. By the decision of the head of the family, they moved into his parents' huge country house. Living under the same roof were their strict father, domineering mother, and Mark's two younger brothers, nineteen-year-old Leo and very young Dan. Leo disliked Mark from the very first day for his success, and Alice's arrival only fueled his hidden envy. He fell desperately and secretly in love with her at first sight. Leo constantly looked for excuses to offend Alice, offering caustic compliments and trying to catch her eye at family dinners. Alice, trying to maintain peace in her new family, pretended not to notice. She spoke to him with exaggerated politeness, as if he were the brother of her beloved husband.
For two years they lived in relative peace. But in the third year, the situation in the house suddenly escalated. Mark's mother, Elizabeth, who had always dreamed of grandchildren, began openly mocking Alice because she had not yet become pregnant. "You're ruining our family's life," her mother-in-law constantly repeated. She loaded the girl with housework, criticized her every action, and turned the rest of the relatives against her. Instead of protecting his wife, Mark suddenly broke under the pressure of his mother. As if replaced, a cold pride awoke in him. He began to believe that Alice was actually guilty of something before his family. Mark began coming home late, disappearing into nightclubs and closed bars, completely ignoring his wife's tears. He became completely indifferent to how his mother was destroying Alice. Seeing that the marriage was falling apart, Leo finally lost control. His hidden love turned into an aggressive obsession. He began stalking Alice right in the house. Leo would lie in wait for her in the dark kitchen, blocking her path and forcing her to listen to his confessions. The most terrifying thing was that he began entering their bedroom without knocking when Alice was alone there. He simply looked at her.

This is about marriage at an early age.