All Chapters of Five Years Guarding Me for Their Perfect Lie: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

The pregnancy test slipped from my hand and hit the floor.I stared at the two names on the marriage certificate—Cameron Gray and Tessa Stone—for a long time, convinced I was seeing things.When I looked through everything else in the drawer, I realized I had been the fool all this time.There were prenatal checkup reports, receipts from a children's hospital, purchases of formula and diapers, and several photographs.In one of them, Cameron held a baby girl in his arms. Tessa sat on the couch, her head bowed, smiling at them warmly.The man I thought was my husband never died. For five whole years, I had been mourning over his photograph like a fool.I put everything back in the drawer, one item at a time.When I walked into the bathroom, I picked up that ridiculous pregnancy test and threw it into the trash. Just moments ago, it was meant to be a surprise. Now, it felt like nothing but a cruel irony.The door opened from the outside. "Gigi."At the door, Alfie Crawford was b

Chapter 2

Alfie seemed shocked for only a split second, but he didn't answer me. I didn't press him, either.That night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned in bed until morning, and one by one, all the things that had never made sense before started falling into place.When Cameron supposedly died, I never even got to see him one last time.There wasn't a single personal belonging left behind. I was only told that the accident had been so severe that the body was impossible to identify.When I heard the news, I collapsed. I was too devastated to question anything.Later, when I wanted to visit the accident site, Alfie stopped me. He told me that the area had already been sealed off and that family wasn't allowed anywhere near it.Mom tried to talk me out of it, too. She said there was no point digging into these things when he was already gone. Even his funeral had been held with an empty coffin.The next day, still in a daze, I went to the flower shop Tessa used to frequent.The owne

Chapter 3

I answered Alfie's call. Immediately, he asked, "Where did you go?"I leaned against the wall and laughed. "I went to meet their daughter!"Silence settled on the other end of the line. I continued, "Why, Alfie? Why did you lie to me?"It took him a long while before he finally spoke. "Come home. We'll talk.""Home?" I laughed, but the tears kept falling. "What home? Do I even have one?""Where are you?" he asked. "I'll come get you.""Don't. You think I'm a fool, too, don't you?" My fingers trembled around the phone. "Every time you saw me crying over Cameron's picture, did you think I was pathetic? Someone easy to fool?""I never thought that.""Then did you ever, even once, try to tell me the truth?"The moment I asked that, I was met with silence. I waited and waited until my heart sank to my stomach.In the end, he only said my name softly. "Gigi."It was the same old tactic—no explanation, no admission, and no denial—as if all he had to do was soften his voice and I'

Chapter 4

When the lights came on, the pain had spread through my entire body, leaving me numb. The doctor's voice drifted in and out of my consciousness.Slowly, without realizing it, everything before my eyes faded into darkness. It felt as though something inside me had slowly been emptied. Just like that, even my last bit of hope had been ripped away.By the time the baby's hundredth-day celebration ended and the guests began to leave, Alfie still couldn't reach me. At last, he remembered that phone call from the hospital.The nurse sounded impatient when she answered, with a hint of reproach in her voice."She just had a D&C. She's very weak at the moment and should be resting in bed, but she insisted on leaving. We couldn't stop her."By the time Alfie arrived, I had already made it to the hospital entrance. The night wind swept over me, and I trembled from head to toe.He rushed over and grabbed me. "Giselle!"I stumbled from the force of it and turned to him. His eyes were rimmed

Chapter 5

One hand supported my back while the other steadied my wrist. I was then lifted into someone's arms.The last thing I heard was Alfie's furious shout. "Who are you? Put her down!"After that, I passed out.When I woke up again, I was in a hospital room. When I was first brought to the hospital, I also reached out to a senior I'd worked with on a research project before I got sick.Fortunately, he arrived in time. After I was admitted, he hired a private caregiver to look after me.Alfie found out where I was and kept trying to see me. This time, I refused to see him.The moment he walked up to my bed, I grabbed the glass of water beside me and hurled it at him. It shattered at his feet, and he finally stopped.Tessa and Cameron were standing behind him.I sat on the hospital bed, my face pale as paper, an IV needle still in the back of my hand. My voice trembled badly. "None of you come any closer."No one moved.I raised my head and looked at the three of them. "My baby is g

Chapter 6

When the nurse came in to check on me, she coldly sent Alfie, Cameron, and Tessa out.After the door closed, I could still hear their voices outside, arguing in hushed tones. I didn't bother eavesdropping.By dawn, I had concluded that all three of them would be out of my life for good.The weather was nice the day I was discharged. I packed the last of my clothes into my bag, zipped it up, and walked out with it in hand.When the door opened, Alfie immediately shot to his feet. He had been waiting outside for days. The nurses said he had barely slept. Hearing that stirred nothing in me, though.Overdue remorse did nothing but make me sick.Alfie reached for my bag, but midway, his hand slowly fell back to his side. "The car's downstairs.""I can handle it myself.""The doctor said you shouldn't overexert yourself—"I cut him off and looked him in the eyes. "Alfie, don't talk to me in that tone anymore."His face slowly lost its color. "I didn't mean anything by it.""But th

Chapter 7

After leaving the hospital, I didn't go back to my old home. That place was too filthy.Alfie had replaced the couch in the living room. There was a time when I couldn't sleep through the night and would sit there wrapped in a blanket until dawn.Afraid I would catch a chill, he had gone out of his way to buy me a larger one.The dishes and silverware in the kitchen were ones Cameron and I had bought together when we first got married. Even the flowers on the balcony were ones Tessa had complimented.Every corner of that place reminded me of how foolishly I'd spent the past five years.I quit my job soon after, changed my phone number, and left with two suitcases. I went south to a small coastal town. It wasn't bustling, but it was definitely peaceful.I rented a tiny place with one bedroom, a balcony, and a narrow kitchen.On the day I moved in, I pulled all the curtains open and let the sunlight pour inside. For some reason, it felt strange, as if this was the first place that

Chapter 8

After a pause, Alfie added softly, "I just happened to be passing by."I looked at him without calling him out. I didn't believe in coincidences that way. If he had really been passing by, he wouldn't have been standing there like this."Do you need something?" I asked calmly.The polite question seemed to sting. He was silent for a moment before saying, "I wanted to see you."The wind tousled his hair. He didn't move any closer, and neither did I.There were a few steps between us—not too far or too close—just enough for us to see the changes in each other's faces."How have you been?"I replied, "Pretty good."I saw the light in his eyes slowly fade. He must've realized that I wasn't pretending. I didn't say it to make a point. I really was doing better, and he had contributed to none of it.After a long silence, he muttered, "I've cut ties with them completely."I said nothing.He continued, "Cameron came to me many times, asking me to help set up a meeting with you. But

Chapter 9

All Tessa wanted was an outlet to pour her regret and pain. But why did that outlet have to be me?Mom still called me from time to time. She had aged quickly, and her speech wasn't as clear as it used to be. Sometimes she would burst into tears the moment I answered.She would say she had been foolish back then, that she shouldn't have helped them hide the truth from me, and that she shouldn't have stopped me from looking for answers.Other times, she would tell me how badly they were doing now, as if reassuring me that they had gotten what they deserved.The more I listened, the more distant I felt from their lives."Mom." Once, I finally interrupted her. "Please stop talking to me about them."After a long silence on the other end, she asked softly, "Are you trying to cut ties with me, too?"I stood in the kitchen, watching the soup bubble in the pot, and didn't answer right away.She already knew the answer. Something between us had broken the moment she watched me cry over

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