The Five-Year Lie

On our wedding day, my fiancée and brother died in a tragic crash, and the shock left my mother completely bedridden. Everyone blamed me, saying I brought misfortune and death to everyone around me. However, I didn't even have time to grieve. I worked myself to the bone, hauling concrete at construction sites by day and delivering food by night, just to afford my mother's medical bills. Then came the day I took a side job wearing a mascot suit for a grand opening event. One employee mentioned, "Our boss is super rich and handsome, and his wife is so sweet. Their family is so loving. They even rescue stray cats and dogs all the time!" I stayed quiet, only worried about whether I'd make it off my shift in time to grab a cheap meal at the construction site. Right after I pulled the mascot head over my shoulders, a familiar voice drifted over. "Madison, you're pregnant. Don't overexert yourself. Just leave the shop to Clyde to manage." I froze, peering through the small eyeholes of the suit, and felt like lightning had struck me. Standing right in front of me were my brother and my fiancée—the very two people who supposedly died five years ago. My mother stood right beside them, without a single trace of illness. And my best friend had his arm casually wrapped around Clyde's shoulder, laughing. "When the baby's born, I shall be the godfather!" Inside the heavy suit, I was trembling, my heart shattering into a million pieces. It turned out they weren't dead, but married and expecting a child. Every single person knew the truth and teamed up to make me live a lie.