The Fifth Year of Marriage to Him novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Aren’t you going to open it and let me try it on?” He looked back at her, puzzled that she hadn’t moved.

“Open it? If I did, he’d see my results!” she thought.

“Open it yourself!” She stayed where she was, turning away and leaning against the wall, pressing the envelope firmly behind her back.

He looked at her with a mix of annoyance and resignation. “You’ve been especially difficult lately.”

But he didn’t push further, and didn’t seem to notice what she was hiding. He went inside.

In the end, Mylee opened the package. Lucille quickly hid her test results and retreated to the guest room.

“Lucille, we’re leaving,” Cedrick called from outside.

“Cedrick!” She turned around. “Could you please show me some respect? Stop informing me at the last minute.”

He appeared at the door. “Is this really ‘last minute“? It’s your father’s birthday today.”

Lucille fell silent.

“Or should I go alone?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Wait. I’ll change.” She moved to close the door.

Unexpectedly, he blocked it. His gaze was intense, suspicious. “Do you really need to close the door? Is this because of that dancer guy?”

“You’re being ridiculous!” She slammed the door shut.

She wondered, “In five years of marriage, did we ever change clothes with the door open? He started this habit, always acting like he had to guard his privacy around me, buttoning his pajamas all the way to the top. Now, suddenly, it isn’t necessary?

“What’s his problem?

09:30

Chapter 25

.:.

When she came out dressed, Cedrick was sitting on the sofa, waiting.

“Let’s go.” She noticed an envelope on the coffee table, clearly prepared by Cedrick for her father. It was thick, probably containing thousands of dollars.

It was the same every year for her family’s birthdays.

The giver was willing, and the receiver was happy. Only she, stuck in the middle, felt more suffocated the bigger the envelope grew

Getting into Cedrick’s car, she also noticed cases of premium cigarettes and alcohol in the back seat.

Her boastful father loved those.

Her parents lived half an hour away in a new apartment Cedrick bought after they married She knew Cedrick didn’t like her family, yet he never refused any of their requests.

For example, when they married, he paid a fortune, which her parents kept, of course. “I raised you all these years. Was it for nothing? And he’s so rich. What does he care about this money?” her mother had said.

Then there was the old house: her parents constantly complained about dampness and crowding around Cedrick. He understood perfectly and bought them this four–bedroom place

When her brother graduated two years ago, her whole family sighed about how hard it was to find work in front of Cedrick. Again, he got the hint and started a company for her brother

Once, she even saw a reminder on Cedrick’s phone: Lucille’s brother’s birthday. He had noted every important date for her and her family. He remembered their birthdays better than she did.

There were countless examples like these.

Her parents loved bragging everywhere about their rich, generous son–in–law: Everyone said she’d married well.

She admitted that as a son–in–law and a brother–in–law, Cedrick was perfect. Even as a husband, few could find fault on the surface.

If someone called Cedrick “good“, she wouldn’t disagree.

But she knew one thing clearly: all of Cedrick’s kindness didn’t come from love. It was guilt.

09:30

Chapter 25

1

“She can never dance again.” Those words were a devastating blow to both of them.

She still remembered Cedrick’s reaction: first shock, then the hollow emptiness in his eyes

From that day on, the man she had fallen in love with was gone.

They were both shackled by the word “forever“. She forever lost the stage, and he was forever bound to atone.

“I failed her.” Those three words defined his life now.

The real Cedrick had died. What remained was just “Lucille’s husband“, a hollow man going through the motions, cold and emotionless, mechanically playing the roles of husband, son- in–law, and brother–in–law.

But now he had come back to life…

Maricela had returned, bringing back his light.

He smiled again. His eyes had warmth and energy again.

She sighed deeply inside. “Why couldn’t he just let me go and free himself as well?”

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