One Phone Call Talked Me Out of My Own Marriage Chapter 07

One Phone Call Talked Me Out of My Own Marriage Chapter 07

Spring gave way to autumn, and another year passed.

To me, time was little more than the rising and setting of the sun, the ebb and flow of the tide.

Five years slipped by in the blink of an eye. By then, only scattered fragments of my life with Landon remained, while the happiness we had once shared had faded like smoke.

All that remained was the pain Landon had caused the future version of me. I had learned about it through the video call I accidentally made five years ago.

Thankfully, I had been given another chance.

I took the old phone from my purse and dialed the familiar number as usual.

No one answered.

Since our final conversation five years earlier, our lives had been rewritten, and the number that

once connected me to my future self had never worked again.

Three years ago, I married Callum Hayes and finally found the quiet, happy life I had always

wanted.

With a soft sigh, I slipped the old phone back into my purse.

My other phone vibrated, and my expression softened the moment I read the messages on the

screen.

[Are you done with work? I’m waiting outside.]

[I brought your favorite pastries.]

I grabbed my purse and left the office without hesitation.

Across the street, a Bentley was parked by the curb and Callum was leaning against the driver’s

door.

Callum looked up, smiled, and opened his arms.

I laughed and launched myself into his arms like a little cannonball, breathing in the familiar scent

of pine.

Callum tightened his arms around me and gently brushed his chin against my hair.

“What happened? Did someone at work give you a hard time? I…”

“No.”

I kept my face buried against his chest. “I just missed you?

The truth was that fear still followed me.

Sometimes, I worried this happiness was nothing more than a dream my mind had created after

Landon hurt me too deeply.

I was terrified that I would wake up and find myself facing his distant, indifferent expression again

Callum pressed his lips together.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said quietly. “I’m right here.”

Warmth rushed through my chest.

I hadn’t explained anything, yet somehow, he understood exactly what I was feeling.

Once we were in the car, he drove with one hand while holding mine tightly with the other.

“Grandpa wants us over for dinner tonight.”

I nodded.

“I’d love to go. I haven’t seen him in a week. I miss him.”

Callum smiled warmly.

Before long, we pulled up in front of the Hayes family estate.

The moment I stepped out of the car, Callum’s grandfather hurried over from the entrance.

There’s my favorite granddaughter-in-law!”

He eagerly took my hand.

“It’s freezing out here. Come inside before you catch a cold.”

He immediately led me toward the house.

“Grandpa, Callum is still…”

I glanced over my shoulder at Callum, who was still standing beside the car with his mouth twitching in resignation.

I laughed so hard that tears gathered in my eyes.

He shook his head and followed us inside, his expression helpless but affectionate.

Once we settled in the living room, Callum’s grandfather eagerly began telling me stories about his childhood.

To Callum’s horror, his grandfather even pulled out photos of him running around naked as a toddler.

I pressed my lips together, fighting desperately not to laugh.

Callum’s expression grew darker with every page.

Later, as we drove home, he gave me a defeated look.

“Just laugh. You’re going to hurt yourself trying to hold it in.”

I glanced at him and burst out laughing.

“Callum, your mother used to put you in dresses!”

He pressed his lips together, looking thoroughly exasperated.

“Mom wanted another daughter. Dad refused to have another baby, so apparently dressing me up

was her solution.”

He reached over and gently pinched my cheek.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

I nodded, still smiling. “Of course I am. Every day with you makes me happy.”

But when we arrived home, my smile vanished.

A solitary figure stood beneath the dim yellow glow of the streetlight.

Even from a distance, I recognized him. My entire body went rigid.

Callum noticed immediately, his eyes narrowing.

“Is that Landon Prescott?”

I nodded.

Whatever feelings I had once had for Landon were gone. All that remained were fragments of the

pain he had caused me.

“I can make sure he never bothers you again,” Callum said. “You don’t have to see him.”

I lowered my eyes and considered it for a moment

“If he found me here, then he already knows something about my life.”

My expression hardened. “I should talk to him. I don’t want him hovering around us like a fly that refuses to go away.”

Callum nodded, stepped out of the car, and took my hand.

Beneath the streetlight, Landon had been staring blankly at the ground.

At the sound of the car door, he slowly raised his head.

The moment he saw me, his eyes filled with five years of longing.

“Rena…”