I Used To Cling To Him At Night, Now I Turn My Back Chapter 03

I Used To Cling To Him At Night, Now I Turn My Back Chapter 03

Callan’s gaze darkened, lingering on my stomach—just barely rounded from breakfast.

My fingers tightened around my toast. My heart pounded.

After a couple of seconds, he stood up and took the wineglass from beside me.

“You shouldn’t have this right now.”

Before I could make sense of what he meant, the floating comments answered for me.

[Seriously, is nobody noticing how weird the side character is today? She used to make him spoon-feed her every breakfast, and now she can suddenly eat with both hands?]

[Right? She used to prance around in nothing but spaghetti straps, throwing herself at him 24/7. He even had to bite the tops off the strawberries for her. Poor male lead.]

[Wait, is no one else seeing the satisfying part? He keeps telling her to eat more. That’s literally what guys do when they want a woman they’re not into to get fat.]

[She’s out here thinking a baby will trap him, and he’s already saving himself for the female lead.]

[Exactly. She should just end the pregnancy. The male lead’s first child has to be the female lead’s.]

I rested a hand over my stomach. My eyes welled up.

Did he really hate me that much?

Callan handed the wineglass to Mrs. Cheney.

“Mrs. Cheney, she’s on her period. No alcohol for her.”

He picked up his suit jacket from the sofa.

Before leaving, he looked at me for a long moment.

“I’m heading to work.”

“If your period’s bothering you, tell me. Next time.”

I let out a silent sigh.

Back in the bedroom, I turned and tossed the pregnancy test into the trash.

The bed still carried Callan’s scent.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and looked around at the bedroom, filled with little decorations meant for happy couples.

The whole marriage was ridiculous.

I’d hated Callan ever since I was a kid.

Back in preschool, my parents realized I couldn’t stand being alone.

They loved their freedom.

Other than coming home for about two weeks every Christmas, they spent the rest of the year traveling the world.

Luckily, they’d had my brother Nolan first.

Since I couldn’t cling to my parents, I attached myself to Nolan instead.

One day I pushed open his bedroom door.

A heavy hardcover book came flying straight at my forehead.

Nolan glared at me through gritted teeth.

“Selene, can I have five goddamn minutes to myself?”

Eventually he fled overseas for school.

With Nolan gone, I latched onto my best friend instead.

I spent so many nights away from home that word got back to my parents.

When they returned for Christmas, they brought Callan home with them.

He was six years older than I was.

My grandparents had raised him after taking him in, and my parents trusted someone as disciplined and dependable as he was.

Callan became a walking security camera. He tracked my every move.

“Home before nine. No skirts above the knee. Sit up straight when you eat.”

No matter how much I argued, he’d simply take another sip of water.

“Your parents aren’t here. I’m your guardian until you’re an adult.”

Living with Callan didn’t make my clinginess any better.

If anything, it just bottled up with nowhere to go.

Lila once told me my clinginess was like a sickness.

If I couldn’t get rid of Callan, maybe I could use him as the cure.

I started testing the waters—moving closer, slipping my arms lightly around his waist.

“Callan, my exams are over.”

“Can’t you just take one night off from watching me?”

He frowned and turned his face away. His hands hovered awkwardly at his sides.

“Don’t.”

I grinned. Just teasing him made me feel better.

I decided I’d keep doing it.

I’d cling to him the same way I’d once clung to Nolan until he finally gave up.

But somewhere along the way… I was the one who fell.

The night someone drugged me to set me up, I begged Callan to save me.

My parents eventually found out.

My father’s furious shouting still echoed in my ears. Every word landed like a blow.

Callan’s whole body shook with pain, yet every word remained steady.

It was a promise to my father. And to me, who was secretly listening outside the door.

“I’ll marry Selene. I’ll take responsibility for her.”

I was so happy I could barely breathe.

I never stopped to think about how hard he’d struggled to force those words out.

Clinging to him became second nature.

I kept telling myself it was revenge. In the end, I was only lying to myself.

The floating comments appeared again.

[The male lead and female lead finally reunited! They went straight for bubble tea!]

[They even swapped childhood photos from their phones!! So cute I’m dying!!]

And that was when the truth hit me. Callan had never loved me. He already had someone he loved.

I was nothing more than a replacement. He wouldn’t let a replacement give birth.

A sharp tug on my finger snapped me back to reality.

Before I knew it, I’d pulled my wedding ring right off my finger.

I’d picked out the rings myself. Flashy. Nothing like Callan’s style.

I remembered the way he’d frowned the moment he slipped it on in front of my parents.

“Mrs. Cheney, please tidy up the room.”

“I’ll be sleeping in another room tonight.”

I tossed the ring into the drawer.

Our wedding portrait sat on the nightstand.

Callan held me close in the picture. His eyes revealed nothing.

I’d always wanted a baby.

I’d imagine our child with his high-bridged nose and those deep, soulful eyes.

Just the thought of it would fill me with happiness.

But every time we slept together, Callan always used protection.

Even when I begged him, he’d only say one thing.

“You’re not ready.”

Now I finally understood.

He was waiting for the woman he truly loved.

I reached over and turned the wedding photo facedown.

The more distance I kept from Callan, the better my chances of protecting this baby.

Once the child was old enough, maybe Callan would spare him, if only for the years we’d spent living under the same roof.