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The Fifth Candle

The Fifth Candle

Short Story · Romance
By:  Snowlit WingsCompleted
Language: English
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10Chapters
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Synopsis

Marriage

Winning Back the Wife

Cheating

Bias

Mistress

Scumbag

Tragic Love

Plot Twists

Melodramatic

The birthday gift I gave my husband was found in a doghouse by the side of the road. I spent the next five years as the butt of all jokes made by Cascade City's high society wives. Every year when Julian Carter's birthday came around, they would bring it up again, teasing that the gift I bought him was surely the most expensive one of all. "That's nouveau riche taste for you. She thinks the more expensive it is, the better." "Yeah, but I wonder where they'll find it this year. Another doghouse, maybe?" The women burst into laughter. Then, they realized something was different. This year, I had not given Julian anything at all. In fact, as his birthday drew to a close, I still had not shown up. "Laura, where's my birthday present? And what kind of behavior is this? You disappeared for the entire day. Do you have any idea how unhappy everyone in the family has been?" Julian's eyes were dark with irritation. I pushed back my sleep-mussed hair, only then remembering that it seemed to be Julian's birthday. "Oh, sorry. I forgot." After a brief pause, I added casually, "I'll have my assistant pick something out tomorrow and send it over." For a moment, he simply stared at me, as if he could not believe what he had just heard. "What did you just say?"

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10 Chapters
Chapter 1
I knew Julian had heard me. I did not have the patience to repeat myself. "Or if there's something you want, just tell me. I'll have someone buy it and send it over."Julian Carter's brow slowly furrowed. Then, after a moment, he suddenly laughed. "Laura, what are you up to this time?"I shot him a confused look, completely baffled by his reaction. "I'm not up to anything."Then, keeping my voice calm, I added, "Besides, what's gotten into you? You've never cared about the gifts I gave you before."Usually, they would end up tossed into the doghouse, or he would wave them off with a casual, "Whoever wants it can take it."Julian seemed to arrive at some conclusion of his own. His tone softened. "You're upset with me? Fine. I promise this time, I'll keep whatever you give me. Now, get up and start getting ready. Just like before."Just like before.Back when his birthday was the thing I looked forward to most every year.I would secretly ask around, trying to find out if there w
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Chapter 2
Julian never came home that night.By the next morning, headlines had spread across all of Cascade City.[The Wife Loses Again—Carter Heir Parties Across the City with Mystery Beauty on His Birthday.]In every entertainment reporter's photo, Julian had one arm protectively wrapped around the woman in his embrace. Everyone around them was laughing, looking relaxed and carefree.Without an expression, I picked up the remote and changed the channel.Apparently, though, they still had not had enough fun. Not long after, Julian came home with a noisy crowd trailing behind him. The moment they saw me, someone paused in surprise before slipping into his usual slick tone."Oh, you're here too? Then we'll have to trouble you to make us something to eat."Another chimed in immediately, "Laura, I've been craving your cream of mushroom soup. Make a big pot, okay?"They kept saying please and sorry for the trouble, but ordering me around came as naturally as breathing.I looked at them qui
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Chapter 3
No one in the room seemed to have expected that I would one day stop fighting with Elaine. After all, just four months ago, we had a very public confrontation at the airport. The media later mocked me as the pathetic wife who had already lost.At the time, we had arrived in Cascade City on the same day. I was the woman whose husband had not accompanied her home for Christmas. She was the adopted sister my husband had just returned from vacation with.It was my fifth year of marriage to Julian.For the previous four Christmases, I was not able to spend the holiday with my parents even once. The Carter family had always believed that since I had married into their family, I should spend the holidays with them.This year, I finally decided I was not going to give in anymore."I want to spend Christmas with my parents."Julian did not even look up."I need to be with my family too." His tone was as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "If you want to go, then go by yourself.
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Chapter 4
Ever since that day at the airport, my marriage with Julian, which had never been particularly close to begin with, seemed to have grown even more distant.The Carter family had always maintained a tradition of going to church on New Year's.Elaine had been sick for days. She was down with a fever, was dizzy, and experienced weakness that refused to go away.One day, my devout mother-in-law suddenly turned her attention to me. "Perhaps someone brought something into this house that shouldn't have been brought back. We should invite a priest to perform a blessing ceremony."Julian stood nearby with a calm expression, saying nothing.I could not help laughing. "Julian, you're really just going to stand there and watch them blame everything on me?"He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "They're worried about Elaine. And it's only a blessing ceremony. It'll give everyone peace of mind."However, it was not nearly as simple as he made it sound.When I tried to refus
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Chapter 5
There was not much left behind. Most of it consisted of things Julian had given me over the years. I did not want to take any of them with me, so I simply returned them to their original owner.There was one more thing—a miscarriage report.Julian stared at the name on the document. The longer he looked, the less it seemed to make sense. It was as if he had suddenly forgotten how to read.His hand shot out and grabbed his assistant. "When was this?"His assistant flinched. "I remember that day, sir. You said not to schedule any work because you were going to church with your family."The day Julian received the final divorce judgment was also when he learned that he once had a child. He had played a part in that child's death.Julian dismissed his assistant. "Leave me alone for a while."His hands trembled as he lit a cigarette. Then another and another. It was as if enough smoke could somehow quiet the chaos raging inside him.When Elaine burst into the office, she immediatel
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Chapter 6
Julian became much quieter than before, and the people around him noticed it.As for Elaine's dramatic suicide threat, it eventually faded away without causing any further trouble.The next time Julian returned home for dinner, the atmosphere at the table was tense. His parents did not look pleased.His mother narrowed her eyes at him. "I swear, you've spent so much time around people with no class that you've forgotten even the most basic manners. What was that nonsense you said to me on the phone?"She set down her spoon with a sharp click. "This divorce should have happened a long time ago. She has no manners and no dignity. She runs after you every day like some attention-seeking clown. And let's not forget how she embarrassed Elaine in front of everyone."She scoffed. "If Elaine hadn't needed her, I would've never allowed a woman like that to set foot into this family."Julian's hands clenched into fists before slowly relaxing again.Then, he laughed. It was a cold, bitter
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Chapter 7
The night was deep and silent. Only a sliver of moonlight shone in through the windows, casting pale shadows across the house.For some time now, Julian had not allowed the cook to come by. He was afraid that if too many people came and went, the traces left behind by the person who used to live there would fade even faster.However, no matter what he did, the house was no longer the same. The light that had always been left on for him was gone. The kitchen no longer held the handwritten recipes labeled with 'Julian's Favorite Dishes'. The flowers placed throughout the house had lost the person who cared for them so meticulously. Their petals had begun to wither.Julian stared at the spot where the pair of vases had once stood. Now, it was empty—just like the hollow place inside his chest.A dull ache spread through him.The bedroom was no different. The walk-in closet contained nothing but rows of his suits. Everything else was gone. Even the bed felt strangely bare. There used t
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Chapter 8
When I suddenly came home, my parents did not ask many questions. Maybe it was true that the bond between a parent and child was something special. They seemed to sense that something had happened.The truth was, I did not even know where to begin when it came to the last five years of my marriage.An entire ocean had separated us for years, making it easy to keep repeating the same lie—that I was doing well, that I was happy, that everything was fine. However, when the truth finally came crashing down, the thing I dreaded most was seeing the hurt in their eyes. Even so, life slowly began to mend itself. I settled back into familiar routines, focused on building my new career, and gradually, everything started moving in the right direction again.The only thing I had not expected… was Julian.My parents practically pushed him in front of me.To the loving couple who adored their daughter, this looked like nothing more than a fight between husband and wife. When he showed up, the
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Chapter 9
Word gradually spread among the people around me. They all learned that I was divorced.When I saw the message Shane Lawson sent me, I stared at it for a long moment.[You're divorced now? So, that means you can finally have dinner with me, right?]A strange feeling washed over me. Shane and I had grown up together. Later, when I fell in love with Julian, Shane never seemed to like him. Every time Julian's name came up, he would find something wrong with him.The night before I left for Cascade City to get married, Shane got drunk. Very drunk. He stumbled all the way to me, rambling about things that barely made sense. Then, just as I was about to leave, the drunk idiot grabbed my sleeve.I turned around. He stood there with his head lowered, his expression hidden in the shadows. "Laura..."His voice was hoarse. "Do you really have to go? Are you really going to marry him?"After a long pause, he added, "But he doesn't treat you well."His grip tightened. "Marry me instead. I l
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Chapter 10
I slapped Julian. When I pulled my hand back, it hung at my side and was trembling uncontrollably. "Julian, it would've been better if you'd told me you never loved me at all. That would've been less disgusting than this."He immediately reached for my hand. "I was wrong, Laura. I know I was wrong."He sounded frantic now. "I promise I'll change. I'll change everything. From now on, I'll treat you well. I've already warned everyone. No one will dare mistreat you again. And Elaine..."He paused, as if the mention of her had touched an old wound. "I'll keep my distance from her. I've really only ever seen her as a sister. She was always threatening to kill herself. I didn't dare take that chance."Then, his voice softened. "And..."The words came out thick and strained. "We can still have children. We can be a family. We can live happily together."I pushed him away. "This world doesn't work just because you decide it should. Julian, there is no chance of us getting back together."
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