Mark freed her before he suffocated, unable to bear any more of her grief and pain, he lifted her in his arms and led her to the bed, clasping her stiff body to his chest, gently rocking her:

“Please calm down, I will not take from you what you do not want to give me, I will wait until you are ready, even if it requires me to wait for you a lifetime.”

The delicacy of his sympathetic and understanding expressions calmed her heart, and she buried her head in his chest, muttering amid her gasps, "I'm sorry...sorry...I promise I won't make you wait long."

Shhhhh, it doesn't matter, it's...