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. Chapter 1 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 straighten him out myself!" she said cheerfully. Clyde pulled Madison closer by the waist and gently kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Mom. Madison is my wife. I could never love her enough." It was the grand opening of their new shop, and a huge crowd had gathered to support them. Almost all of them were mutual friends of mine and Madison's. Over the past five years, these same people had visited me during the holidays. Some had even offered to help me find easy part-time jobs, pretending to feel sorry for how hard I was struggling all alone. And yet, not a single one of them had ever told me the truth. Tears mixed with sweat poured down my face inside the suit. Back then, right after their accident, my mother supposedly became bedridden from the shock. Drowning in massive debt, I took on every dirty, exhausting job I could find. Whenever I couldn't take the pain anymore, I would go to their headstones just to pour my heart out and tell them how much I missed them. I had dreamed of reuniting with them countless times, desperately wishing I never had to wake up from those sweet dreams. Now the dream had finally come true, only to reveal a lie. Clyde carefully held the heavily pregnant Madison, his tender gaze piercing through me. On our wedding day five years ago, Madison was already eight months pregnant. When I rushed to the hospital after the crash, all I was shown was the shattered body of our unborn child. The doctors told me they tried an emergency delivery, but they couldn't save the baby. I had spent years drowning in endless guilt and self-blame, constantly asking myself if any of this would have happened if we just hadn't held that wedding. During those nights when I wanted to give up on life completely, I survived by holding onto the words she once told me. "Dean, no matter what happens in the future, you have to stay strong. Promise me you'll keep living, even if it's just for me." Those words were the only thing that gave me the courage to keep going. But I realized now that her fake encouragement was nothing more than a cruel joke. She just wanted to watch me suffer. Seeing me standing frozen, Andy shoved me hard. "Hey, mascot! What's wrong with you? Stop slacking off!" I stumbled from the push, nearly losing my balance. Clyde immediately stepped in to play the nice guy. "Come on, Andy. Working in this heat isn't easy. Let him come inside and rest for a bit. It's close to the house anyway." Andy sighed dramatically. "You're way too nice, man. That's why Dean used to step all over you back in the day." The moment my name was mentioned, it felt like an absolute taboo. The mood shifted instantly, and everyone’s face darkened. Finally, Madison broke the heavy silence. "Clyde, I'm tired. Let's just go home." Andy dragged me along, forcing me to follow them. Madison drove a brand-new Porsche, a model I knew all too well. Back when I first started delivering food, I accidentally scraped a car just like it. The owner had slammed my face against the door frame, snarling, "Look at this badge and remember it! Stay the hell away from cars like this next time. Your pathetic life couldn't even pay for the scratch!" Their place was a luxury penthouse, fitted with plush leather couches, crystal chandeliers, and expensive abstract paintings I couldn't even begin to understand. Clyde motioned for me to take a seat, and the housekeeper quickly brought over a glass of water. "Go ahead and take that mascot head off. It must be boiling in there." Andy walked in as if he owned the place, grabbing a drink from the fridge. "He's getting paid to hustle. Honestly, even if you made him stand out there all night, he wouldn't dare complain." My mother sank into an electric massage chair with a sigh of relief. "Ugh, lying around in that dirty little apartment all day was literally breaking my back!" Slowly, I unlocked the suit's headpiece and pulled it off. As everyone stared at me in shock, I looked them in the eye and spoke softly. "Long time no see." Chapter 2 The silence in the living room was deafening. Suddenly, the glass in Clyde’s hand slipped, shattering into pieces on the floor. Madison gasped, immediately asking in concern if he was hurt. My mother stood up slowly, a flicker of awkwardness crossing her face for a split second. "Dean, listen. It's really not what you think..." I stared at her, frozen. For five years, I had painstakingly turned her over in bed every night and patted her back to clear her airways. I thought about how I endured every mood swing, every temper tantrum she threw after falling ill, without a single word of complaint. Even in blistering 104-degree heat, I hauled heavy bricks, just to make enough money to buy her medicine. My eyes burned, and I let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Mom, you're an incredible actress. Seriously, you deserve an Oscar." My mother froze in her tracks. Clyde turned pale. He reached out an awkward, trembling hand. "Dean..." I slapped his hand away. Madison bit her bottom lip. After a long silence, she let out a quiet sigh. "Dean, I'm sorry. But the truth is, I fell in love with Clyde five years ago. "I wanted to marry him back then, but he was afraid you couldn't take the news, so he refused to commit. I didn't want to make things hard for him, and I hated seeing him suffer. That's why I came up with this plan to keep you in the dark." "On the day of the crash..." She paused, clearing her throat gently. "I just didn't expect you to react so dramatically." React so dramatically? The two most important people in my life had supposedly died. I was so crushed by grief that I wanted to follow them to the grave. I stayed by their sides in the funeral parlor for three days, refusing to eat or drink, passing out multiple times from exhaustion. And to her, all of that was just me "reacting dramatically". Then Andy chimed in. "Come on, Dean. Clyde is your brother. He's been sick and frail since you guys were kids. You're the healthy one and have already enjoyed way more out of life than he has... "Besides, whoever Madison loves is her own choice. You can't force love, man! You need to understand that." Andy’s words felt like a pair of ruthless hands ripping a hole straight through my heart. Though Clyde and I were fraternal twins, he was born with physical defects, while I grew up healthy. Everyone around us always said I was the one who stole all the nutrients in the womb. I believed them. All my life, I did everything I could to make it up to him. Five years ago, he had another episode and was hospitalized for a month. I was buried in work, so I begged Madison to drop by and help me look after my brother. At first, Madison only visited him occasionally, keeping a strict, polite boundary. But slowly, she started going out of her way to find better hospitals and specialists for Clyde. Then came the day Clyde had a sudden nosebleed. I had never seen Madison look so panicked. Even so, I never once doubted her. I had even poured my heart out to her. "Clyde's health isn't great. I don't trust anyone else to look after him, so we might have to take care of him for the rest of our lives." When I said those words, I was too blind to notice the strange, uncomfortable silence between them. However, thinking back on it now, my hands began to tremble. I raised my arm. The next second, Clyde lunged forward, throwing himself in front of Madison to take the slap for her. "Clyde!" Madison cried out, catching him as he stumbled. He clutched his swollen cheek and looked up at me. "Dean, I've loved Madison ever since the first day I saw her. These past five years were stolen from you. She only married me because she pitied me..." His face flushed red, and he began coughing violently, gasping for air as if I were the monster driving him to his death. Madison gently patted his back, coaxing him tenderly. "Don't say such stupid things. If I didn't love you, why would I ever marry you?" She turned back to me, her voice becoming cold. "Dean, Clyde is your brother. Don't push him into a corner. "I know I owe you for the last five years. I'll make it up to you, but I won't divorce him." My mother finally snapped out of it. She rushed forward and shoved me backward. "Why are you bullying your brother?! Now that you know they're both alive and well, shouldn't you be happy?!" "Seriously, Dean. Stop throwing a tantrum," Andy piped up from the side. "Clyde already apologized, and Madison said she'd make it up to you. Just let it go." My back slammed hard against the cabinet, sending an agonizing pain shooting through my spine. They were the ones who teamed up to manipulate and hurt me. Yet somehow, I was the bad guy. I closed my eyes, my throat tightening as I swallowed the bitter lump. Without another word, I turned and walked out. Just as I reached the stairwell, someone grabbed my arm. Madison's eyes flicked down to my hands, rough, calloused, and cracked from years of hauling wet cement, and she froze for a split second. She then stuffed a heavy bag into my hands. "Clyde can't finish all these health supplements anyway. Take them back with you to nourish your body." The price tags printed on the boxes were blindingly expensive. A wave of utter absurdity and humiliation washed over me. All the blood and sweat I endured over the past five years, I thought I was being strong and protecting my family. It turned out that I was just a pathetic joke. I shoved her away with everything I had. However, my foot caught the edge of the top step. I lost my balance and fell backward. Madison gasped in horror and reached out to catch me— "Madison, come quick!" my mother's panicked voice echoed from inside the penthouse. "Clyde's stomach is hurting again!" Madison hesitated before pulling her hand back and sprinting back into the apartment. I tumbled down the concrete steps, crashing all the way to the landing. It was late into the night by the time I dragged my bruised, broken body back to my cramped rented apartment. Just like every other night, I dumped a handful of antidepressant pills out of the bottle and swallowed them. My phone buzzed. I opened it and saw Andy’s latest social media post. [Finally don't have to hide anymore! These past five years almost killed me keeping this secret! Wishing these two soulmates a lifetime of happiness!] Attached was a photo of Madison and Clyde, their fingers tightly intertwined. Everything I had been suppressing for five long years finally shattered. I bit my lip until it bled, burying my face in the blanket as silent, burning tears soaked through the sheets. Chapter 3 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 sun, passing out from heatstroke multiple times, but I never dared to rest. I was terrified of what would happen if I stopped moving. Once, loan sharks even kidnapped me to sell me off on the black market for my debts. I escaped with injuries all over my body, crawled to Madison's grave, and swore to make the people who hurt me pay. In my dreams, she had held me gently, telling me not to be scared and that it would all pass. Maybe a shred of guilt finally hit her. Madison sighed, stepped forward to take my hand, her tone softening. "Dean, don't be greedy. I can't divorce Clyde. But if you ever need anything, call me." I looked blankly at this woman I once loved so deeply, now a stranger. My mind suddenly drifted back to the year Clyde was in the hospital. A nurse on duty had privately asked me about his status. Thinking she was a great catch, I asked Clyde what he thought. Madison, who was always gentle, threw a massive temper tantrum back then. "Clyde needs to make these decisions himself! You can't just run his life because you're his brother!" She apologized to me afterward, but she used work as an excuse and didn't come home for an entire month. I pulled my lips into a bitter smile. So she had just been hiding her own selfish desires all along. "Sleeping with my brother behind my back, having his kid... was it thrilling? Don't either of you feel ashamed?" Right then, Clyde ran in from outside. "Dean, it's all my fault. Five years ago, on the day of the crash, Madison was carrying your baby. But she said she hadn't signed the marriage papers with you yet, so the baby had no legal standing. She said she only wanted to have my children, so she got an abortion. "The pregnancy was too far along, so it wasn't an easy procedure. I know it was wrong and that I messed up. If you want, I'm willing to give you my baby in the future to make it up to you..." Chapter 4 Madison stiffened, panic flashing in her eyes. Instinctively, she grabbed Clyde’s hand, stopping him from saying another word. I stood frozen. My mind went completely blank, images of that fully formed child flashing in my head as a sharp pain shot through my body. Looking at their fake, pathetic faces, I couldn't hold it back anymore. I raised my hand to slap Clyde across the face. "Clyde!" Before I could react, a heavy blow cracked across my own face. My cheek swelled up instantly, and blood leaked from the corner of my mouth. Madison stepped in front of Clyde, glaring at me. "Are you insane?!" She caught sight of the blood on my mouth and paused for a second. In the end, she looked away. "You shouldn't have put your hands on your brother. I'm the one who fell for him first. If you want to blame someone, blame me." With that, she took Clyde's arm and walked out without looking back once. I collapsed onto the floor, completely drained. I reached up to touch my face, only to find my cheeks soaked with tears. Maybe driven by a thin thread of guilt, my mother came over later and looked down at me. "You and Clyde grew up together. I was always busy back then and couldn't take good care of you boys. Remember the big earthquake when you were eight? The whole building collapsed, trapping you and Clyde under a support beam. The rescue team said they could only save one of you. "I didn't know what to do. But Clyde heard them from under the rubble, and he said, 'Save my brother first.' "Dean, he's your brother..." We used to be the brothers everyone envied. How on earth did we end up like this? The next day, I ignored a text my mother had sent asking me to come home for dinner so we could all reunite. So Andy showed up at my door and dragged me there by force. It was only when I walked in that I realized today was Clyde's and my birthday. Seeing me arrive, Clyde came over enthusiastically to greet me while I just stood there, completely numb. Until an oblivious guest suddenly spoke up. "Wait, wasn't Madison with Dean? How did she end up marrying Clyde?" The room went silent. Another guest immediately snapped back, "You've got it wrong. Madison's husband has always been Clyde. As for Dean, I heard he was desperate to marry into her wealthy family for years..." "He actually dared to show up today? Don't tell me he's trying to be a homewrecker..." Before I could even process the words, Clyde jumped to his feet. "My brother is not a homewrecker!" The next second, the crowd shifted their gazes to me, now filled with pure contempt. Looking at his saintly, fake face, days of suppressed rage finally boiled over. I grabbed his arm and demanded, "You're my brother! Even if you loved her, why couldn't you just tell me to my face?!" I didn't even use that much force. Yet Clyde let out a sharp cry of pain and fell backward, crashing straight into the ground. My mother shoved me hard. My head slammed into the concrete wall behind me, sending a blinding wave of pain through my skull. Warm blood ran down my neck, soaking into my collar. Madison rushed over, shielding Clyde with her body. The way she looked at me this time was as cold as ice. "Clyde and I are legally married," she said, her voice dripping with venom, laying out every word. "Dean is the one with sick intentions. He's been stalking and harassing me nonstop." Her words hit like a blade to the heart. Andy glared at me with pure hatred. "Clyde is my best friend. Anyone who touches him has to go through me first!" Faced with their accusations and insults, I didn't even have the energy left to argue. I just felt tired. Numbly, I turned around, preparing to leave, only for Clyde to reach out and pull me back, tears streaming down his face. The very next second, screams echoed through the room as the heavy crystal chandelier directly overhead snapped and crashed down. "Clyde!" Madison ran toward him without a second thought. My mother and Andy shrieked Clyde's name in pure horror, while I could only cover my head by instinct. The shattering sound was deafening. Madison held Clyde tightly, frantically checking every inch of him to see if he was hurt. Then, as if a sudden realization hit her, her stomach dropped. She whipped her head around, and her face turned deathly pale.