The Fifth Year of Marriage to Him novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“It’s ready! Come get your food!” She came out smiling, bowl in hand. “You’re all grown up, but still asking for the same food you loved as a kid.”

Lucille smiled. The rich, creamy smell made her mouth water. She dug in hungrily.

She was starving.

She’d only had a few bites at her parents‘ place. Soon, she finished every last drop.

After she put down the bowl, her grandmother looked at her gently and asked, “Did you fight?”

Lucille smiled.

She couldn’t hide much from someone who truly loved her.

“Grandma,” Lucille said, wrapping her arm and leaning on her shoulder. “I want to go study abroad. What do you think?”

Her grandmother was the only one she could be completely honest with…

Her eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful! Don’t worry. I still have some savings.”

Tears welled in Lucille’s eyes. She hugged the elderly woman tightly. “Grandma, I have money now.”

Only her grandmother would always support her like this…

“I know you do, my dear. But your money is yours. I have put some aside just for you.” She gently stroked Lucille’s hair.

“Grandma…” Lucille clung to that warmth, but worry crept in. “But if I go, it might be for years. What if I miss you too much?”

“Silly girl, you can video call me anytime. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here. If you come back after your studies, I’ll be waiting. If you decide to stay abroad, I’ll come with you. Just don’t find me too troublesome!”

“Grandma! How could I?” Lucille said quickly. “One day, I’ll take you everywhere. We’ll

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travel the world together!”

“Good.” She held Lucille, patting her back gently just like she did when Lucille was little. “I’ll wait for that day.”

That night, Lucille slept in her grandmother’s bed. It rained again around midnight.

Suddenly, Lucille understood why she always slept so well to the sound of rain. When she was little, on rainy nights, her grandmother would hold her like this, telling her stories until she fell asleep, the rain and her voice weaving together into peace.

The elderly woman didn’t ask again about Cedrick or whether they had fought.

Lucille thought she probably understood everything without being told.

She slept deeply until late the next morning.

No alarm woke her.

Lucille realized her phone had died. She hadn’t charged it last night.

But she didn’t really mind. Being disconnected felt free.

After a night of rain, the morning was clear and bright, but the air still carried the damp, earthy smell unique to the countryside.

Her grandmother wasn’t home, probably out buying breakfast.

Lucille stepped into the yard and took a deep breath.

There was a sunroom in the yard. It was empty, except for a ballet barre.

It was where she used to practice. She hadn’t been inside since her injury five years ago. She assumed it was now used for storage.

But now, Lucille wasn’t afraid of memories anymore. She walked over and opened the door.

She froze.

It was spotless, not a speck of dust, no clutter. It was exactly as it had been five years ago.

She touched the barre. Her fingers came away clean.

“Did Grandma elean it every day?” she thought.

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It was a glass room with a high ceiling, built specially by her grandmother so she could practice freely.

She couldn’t resist pulling open all the curtains. Sunlight poured in from every direction Standing before the barre, she felt a deep urge stirring inside her.

Finally, she lifted her injured leg and placed it on the barre.

A tremor of soul–deep resonance rushed through her. Tears in her eyes, she leaned into the stretch…

But some things, once stopped, were hard to start again.

She fell again and again. She couldn’t spin or leap like she used to.

After another hard fall, pain shooting through her, she lay on the floor, sweat and tears streaming down her face.

She finally gave up.

“It’s impossible, Lucille. The doctor said it five years ago. You’re stiff as a board now. You can’t dance anymore.” she told herself.

Then she sensed someone outside.

Lucille looked up. Her grandmother was standing there with a man. It was Aydan.

She wondered. “What’s he doing with Grandma?

“Did he see me like this, so broken and clumsy?”

Panic seized her.

“She used to dance, but now she’s a cripple. What good is she?”

“What can she do? Can’t socialize, can’t even serve water without spilling it… Ced, drink some water. Like this?”

“Ced, Ced, have some water… Ouch! Ced, help me up…”

The mocking voices of Cedrick’s friends echoed in her mind. Frantic, she crawled to the window, yanking the curtains shut. She leaned against the window, covering her mouth to silence her sobs.

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“Luci? Luci?”

Her grandmother’s voice came from outside.

“No! Grandma, don’t come in! Please, don’t come in!” She tried hard to sound calm, but tears kept falling.

Lucille didn’t want her to see her fragile side. And she definitely didn’t want a stranger to witness her sorry state.

But the door opened anyway.

Sunlight stretched a long shadow across the floor.

It was Aydan.

Lucille sat on the floor, crying and shaking her head, scrambling backward. “Don’t come near me! Go away! Get out!”

But he didn’t leave.

Instead, he walked toward her, placed his phone on the floor, and held out his hand.

“What are you doing? Leave me alone!” She curled into a ball, arms wrapped tightly around herself

Without a word, Aydan lifted her. At the same moment, music began to play from his phone, accompanied by “Giselle“.

Muscle memory took over. Supported by his hands, her body naturally unfolded. Her arms and legs moved like wings.

“Giselle” was a duet, a dance she had once won awards for.

Even if her legs weren’t what they used to be, she still remembered every step.

With Aydan’s support, she stumbled through the entire dance. It wasn’t perfect, far from it. But it was the first time in five years she had finished a whole piece.

As the music faded, she stood in the middle of the room, dazed, as if waking from a dream.

“Lucille,” Aydan said, his eyes bright. “Dancing is a state of mind. If you want to dance, you can soar.” He paused. “Does that sound familiar?”

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Then Lucille remembered. Aydan was her understudy in “Giselle” years ago, the junior who always struggled with lifts and once dropped her during practice. That day, under a tree, he was filled with guilt and frustration. She had said those exact words to him.