All Chapters of Five Years of Lies, The Last Chapter: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

My hand froze mid-cut as I was slicing her steak.My brain went numb. My vision blurred."What?"My lips trembled as I forced the word out."That night with Ryan five years ago. I got pregnant."Jessica didn't hold anything back. She even let out a small sigh of relief as she said it. "It's better that you know. I've been tired of hiding it for five years."I didn't know what to do with myself. I turned to my mother-in-law."Mom… come on, don't joke around with Jess like this. It's your birthday. You're messing with me, right?"But Linda just took a calm sip of her tea. She didn't say a word in response to my question.My heart sank lower.Jessica kept talking. "I'm not joking. When I found out, the doctor said terminating the pregnancy would be bad for my health. There was a good chance I'd never get pregnant again."She rested her hand on her swollen belly. My child was in there—eight months along, almost due."Be grateful, Michael. I didn't get rid of it. Otherwise, we'd

Chapter 2

The moment Linda saw her grandson, her face lit up. She scooped the little boy into her arms."Noah's here! Come here and let Grandma give you kisses."I sat there without moving a muscle.I'd never really looked at Ryan's face before. Jessica had done a damn good job keeping him hidden.They were all playing happy family. And the sickest part? Jessica was still carrying my child."Jessica, is this your idea of 'making things right'? The way you explained it to me before? Was it fun lying to me for five years?"Everyone in the room went pale.Ryan pulled the boy close, his face tight with tension. "I can take the hit, but my son can't. He's Jessica's biological child. He's also Linda's grandson. If you won't let him through that door, then as far as Noah's concerned, he doesn't have a mother anymore!"He said it like he was the one being wronged. Like I was the bully.Ryan stormed out with the boy without another word.Jessica scrambled to her feet, ignoring the discomfort of

Chapter 3

Jessica and Linda went ahead and brought Ryan and the boy back to the house.Linda hovered protectively over her precious grandson. "As long as I'm alive, Noah is my grandson. I won't let anyone bully him."Her eyes kept darting toward me, guarded and suspicious.Ryan caught her meaning. A flicker of smugness crossed his face. Gone was the uncertainty from before. He puffed out his chest."Don't worry, Michael. I'm not trying to take your place. I just want my son to be able to stay close to his mother. I don't want Noah to grow up with the stigma of being labeled a bastard."I curled my lip, unable to hide the sarcasm. "That label wouldn't be undeserved. No matter what you do, that fact isn't going to change."Ryan's face went pale. He turned to Jessica with a wounded look.Jessica frowned. "Michael, where are your manners?"Her cold words made my heart clench. My hands hung limp at my sides, uselessly gripping and releasing. My voice came out dry and cracked. "Five years ago,

Chapter 4

A week passed quickly.The party to welcome Noah into the family was a lavish affair. Almost every big name in our social circle showed up.Jessica looped her arm through mine and muttered a low warning in my ear. "You've had plenty of time to think this through. Don't cause any trouble today."I didn't answer. I didn't even look at her.Then the five-year-old boy came up and took my hand. Right in front of all the guests, he called me "Dad."That's when I finally spoke."I'm not your father. And I will not accept you as my son."The room erupted.Guests exchanged glances, and suddenly, the unspoken clicked into place. The looks people gave Jessica were full of mockery.Her face flushed, then went pale. Humiliated, she grabbed my wrist. "What are you doing?""If you don't accept Noah today, I will go to the hospital right now."Her tone was absolute. I couldn't believe it. A mother, saying something like that. She knew better than anyone how hard this pregnancy had been—all

Chapter 5

Jessica had hesitated at first, right there in the operating room.No matter what, the baby inside her was nearly eight months old. She had gone through so much just to get pregnant with this child. The doctor had told her before that her body wasn't suited for another pregnancy. But she still wanted to give Michael a baby.Maybe it was guilt. Or maybe it was fear that someday he would find out the truth, and she could use this child to keep him tied to her.But then she thought about what Michael had done—putting those photos up for everyone to see—and suddenly, she felt he was unforgivable.She didn't even know when those pictures had been taken. Ryan would never do something that would humiliate him. So it had to be Michael.She just wanted to teach him a lesson he'd never forget.Because of the early abortion, Jessica came out of surgery looking pale and drawn.She couldn't bring herself to look at the baby—born blue and mottled. The doctor told her it was a girl.Ryan rush

Chapter 6

When Jessica got home, Michael was nowhere to be found.She figured he was just sulking like he always did and didn't give it much thought. They had been together for so many years—both of them pushing thirty—and she didn't believe Michael would actually divorce her over this.But when night came, he still hadn't shown up.In the past, no matter how bad their fights got, Michael never stayed out all night.Jessica drifted off into her own thoughts, so distracted that she didn't even notice Noah walking up to her."Mommy, tonight I want to sleep with you and Daddy."Noah clutched his stuffed animal and tugged at her hand.They had all shared a bed before. But now, for some reason, Jessica hesitated.She told Noah, "Be good, okay? Why don't you sleep with Daddy tonight? Mommy still has work to do."Ryan overheard her making excuses. "Jessica, are you still worried about Michael? If you're not comfortable, Noah and I don't have to stay."He let out a long sigh and ruffled Noah's

Chapter 7

The next morning, Jessica picked at her breakfast, completely distracted.Michael hadn't come home all night. His phone was off. Her texts wouldn't go through.She felt a strange sense of unease, like something was slipping away from her.She called one of Michael's friends."Have you seen Michael?"Whenever they fought in the past, Michael always went straight to his friends. Jessica assumed this time was no different.Then the voice on the other end said, "Didn't you two already sign the divorce papers?"Jessica's hand trembled so badly she almost dropped the phone. Her voice shot up. "Divorce?"When had she and Michael gotten divorced?The person on the other end snapped back, annoyed. "Jessica, everyone knows about your mess. If you're divorcing Michael, stop stringing him along. You really think he can't live without you?"Jessica gripped her phone tighter and let out a cold laugh. "Did Michael put you up to this? Is this some kind of joke? Because I'm the one getting di

Chapter 8

When I saw Jessica again, she looked completely worn down.Her stomach was flat now.I had nothing left to say to her. So I turned around and walked away.But Jessica acted like a different person. She followed right behind me. She even swallowed her pride and apologized."I paid off Ryan and Noah. They're gone. They won't bother you anymore. And don't worry about my mother. Michael… let's go home."Hearing her say "go home" felt almost laughable."Home? What home do we have left?"Five years ago, I told her clearly: if she ever cheated again, I wouldn't forgive her. And now? I just didn't want to waste any more of my time on her."I know I was wrong. But we still have a home. We're not getting a divorce."Listening to her words, I remembered all her promises from before. But to her, promises are made to be broken, aren't they?When I didn't react, Jessica stepped out into the middle of the street."I swear on my life. It will never happen again."This time, I didn't soften

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