Dice
It isn't an emotion, but an object.
An object sometimes used to gamble with, that also contains four letters, but still no one pays attention to that.
Sometimes you are lucky and it lands on five, other times it turns out to be four and you would swear under your breath and quickly roll them again, hoping it once again would be five.
Rolling them again, he finds it to be four.
Swearing under his breath he picks up the two small wooden cubes, casting a quick look over his shoulder to look at his love, he prays it won't be four.
Rolling them again, he sighs, once again four.
Alive has five letters.
Dead, only four.