All Chapters of The Five-Year Lie: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Though it was suffocatingly hot inside the mascot suit, a chill ran down my spine. I stood frozen, my eyes locked onto the all-too-familiar figures standing right in front of me.After what happened to Madison and Clyde, I had fallen into a severe depression and tried to end my life multiple times. It was my best friend, Andy, who stayed by my side, dragged me to the hospital time after time, and helped me pull myself together.Yet right now, Andy had his arm wrapped casually around Clyde’s shoulder, throwing a playful wink at Madison."Clyde knows how to treat a woman right. He’ll make sure both you and the baby are spoiled rotten!"And then there was my mother. The same mother who had been bedridden for five years, unable to care for herself, whose diapers I had changed right before leaving the house this morning.Now, she was standing there, vibrant, healthy, and glowing. There wasn't a single trace of illness on her face."If Clyde ever steps out of line, honey, I’ll straight

The next morning, Madison showed up at my door.I was still living in the house we set up as our newlyweds' home five years ago. Everything was frozen in time, exactly as she had left it.The bright "just married" wedding cutout on the wall, which I had held her in my arms to stick up, had long since turned yellow and faded. The flowers we planted together were still on the balcony, and her rescued little turtle was still swimming in the corner tank.This place used to be filled with laughter. Now, everything has changed.She looked around the room, a flicker of pity crossing her eyes."I know these past few years have been hard on you. I'll compensate you for it. But on the condition that you drop this whole thing and keep treating Clyde as your brother."I stared at her in disbelief. Whatever tiny spark of feeling I had left for her fizzled out."All of you treated me like a complete idiot. Do you have any idea how I survived these five years?"I worked under the scorching su

"No!"The rush of air from the falling chandelier drowned out everything. Through the chaos, I thought I heard someone screaming my name.I forced my eyes open, only to see Madison’s face. The moment her gaze landed on me, her eyes widened in complete horror, her voice pitching up into a blood-curdling shriek."Dean!"I opened my mouth to say something, but it was already too late. The heavy chandelier crashed down on my body. A crushing weight hit me, knocking the air from my lungs and crushing my organs.The pain was so extreme that I couldn't even squeeze out a single sound.In that fleeting second, my mind went completely blank. I stared up at the ceiling, my pupils slowly dilating. For the first time in five long years, my mind was entirely at peace.I whispered to myself, "Dean, you're finally free. You don't have to be heartbroken over anyone or anything ever again. They can never hurt you anymore."Memories began to flash past like a projection reel. I remembered th

After a while, a woman with red, swollen eyes walked into the room and introduced herself to me as my mother.She treated me just as well as Madison did, but the look in her eyes was identical to Madison's. It made me feel as if they were keeping something from me.That day, Madison went to a nearby supermarket to buy me some fruit. So I wandered out into the hallway for a slow walk by myself and bumped right into a man who looked identical to me.He was slightly thinner, paler, and lankier than me, looking fragile enough to be blown away in the wind.I remembered my mother mentioning that I had a brother called Clyde. Testing the waters, I called out softly to him. "Clyde?"He froze, his eyes flickering with a complex storm of emotions. There was surprise, suspicion, and even a trace of cold hostility—everything except joy.Guessing that our relationship probably wasn't great, I took a silent step backward. His expression flipped instantly. Putting on a thoughtful smile, he

Joy lit up Madison’s eyes. She squeezed my hand tightly, her voice trembling as she urgently promised, "Don't worry, Dean. I won't let you go again."I didn't say a word. I just looked down at her hands wrapping tightly around mine, letting out a smile.Our wedding was set for early May, as Madison said the weather would be perfect then.We booked the best hotel in the city, reserving the entire top-floor ballroom. We invited every single friend, relative, classmate, and colleague we had ever known growing up. Not a single person was left off the list.Madison even hired a top-tier wedding planner, determined to throw me the grandest, most flawless wedding imaginable. When I asked her why she was being so obsessive about it, she held me close, her expression solemn.After a long silence, she whispered, "I lost you once before. I won't lose you again.""You won't," I answered her softly. "People who truly love each other will always find their way back together. Only the heartless