Spoilers Led Me Home to My Little Family

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I have extremely strict personal boundaries, but my contract-marriage husband has severe separation anxiety.

Two years into our marriage, we had a son, Leo.

He completely inherited his fathers personalitya total clinger who couldn't survive a second without me.

I always found them too draining and did everything I could to avoid them.

Just as I was about to push them out of my bedroom door once again, a floating textlike live chat commentssuddenly flashed before my eyes.

[So this is how the evil female lead iced out the male lead and their son.]

[She didn't even show up for the Parent-Teacher Conference. Ethan and little Leo are going to be completely heartbroken this time.]

[It's fine. The real female lead is about to show up soon.]

[Shell warm Ethan up with her sunshine personality. Even little Leo, who always dogs the evil female leads heels, will be drawn to her.]

[When that happens, the rejected wife will be kicked out of the house with a frozen bank account and sent to a run-down cabin upstate, never to return.]

What?

I would be kicked out upstate? And never allowed back here?

I tightened the sash of my silk robe.

The next second, I threw the bedroom door wide open, rushed forward, and wrapped my arms tightly around my husband and son who were just about to leave.

I pulled Leo into my arms and ruffled his soft hair.

"Mommy isn't going to the office that day. Ill go to your Parent-Teacher Conference, okay?"

Leo looked at me in shock, his face lighting up with pure joy. He looked like he was about to bounce off the walls.

But very quickly, something crossed his mind, and his little head drooped.

"Mommy, are you lying to me?"

"Last time, you said youd come to my school field day, but only Daddy showed up in the end."

"I'm already in elementary school, and some of my classmates say I don't even have a mom!"

Hearing Leo's words, the floating screen instantly went wild with comments.

[Lmao, she has completely lost the kid's trust.]

[Who can she blame? Leo used to be her little shadow. Didn't she push him away time after time to cause this?]

[The male lead too. Hes been rejected so much he doesn't even dare to get close to her anymore.]

[Just look at his face. He doesn't believe for a second that shes being genuine.]

I looked up.

Ethan noticed my gaze and quickly, almost reflexively, let go of the corner of my robe he had been secretly twirling between his fingers.

He turned his head slightly, biting his lip. His voice was laced with disappointment.

"Elena, it's fine if you can't make it. But please, don't promise Leo if you aren't sure... Otherwise, hell wait for you all day, and hell cry again when you don't show up."

Wait, what?

I froze.

Quickly, I grabbed Ethan's hand, pressed it firmly against my chest, and practically begged him to believe me.

"I won't! I swear! This time, Im really going!"

"You have to believe me!"

Ethan and I were married for business.

My parents had a similar marriage of convenience. They lived apart year-round and had zero emotional connection. Aside from business, they barely spoke.

I used to think that was a great arrangement.

Because I was a textbook low-energy introvert.

Even back in college, I found social relationships exhausting.

Once I took over the family business, managing projects and negotiating contracts all day, I would come home feeling completely drained.

I never wanted to date.

I had hoped my partner would be a low-energy corporate drone with strong boundaries just like me.

But I never expected Ethan to be a human Golden Retriever who could run ten corporate mergers a day without breaking a sweat.

Not only did he have boundless energy, but he also had severe separation anxiety and touch deprivation.

He loved sticking to me.

"I don't want to sleep in a separate bed from you, El."

"Wherever you go, I go."

"I love you so much, El. Let's never be apart, okay?"

In our second year of marriage, we had Leo.

We hadn't planned on having a baby so early, but it was an accidental pregnancy, and my doctor advised against an abortion due to my physical condition.

Ethan was terrified of putting me through too much pain, so he promised he would take on all the parenting duties.

But who knew our son would completely inherit Ethan's high-energy traits?

Leo loved following me everywhere. He was way more attached to me than to his dad.

Dealing with one clingy adult was exhausting enough. Now I had a mini-clinger.

It instantly triggered my avoidant attachment style.

I started hiding from them.

Ethan asked me out on dates. "Too tired, not going."

Leo wanted me to go to his school events. "Too tired, not going."

Family weekend trips. "Too tired, not going."

...

Lately, though, I had finally gotten the company's operations under control. I had promoted a few reliable assistants to take over the heavy lifting, so I wasn't nearly as exhausted anymore.

And then I suddenly realized... why hadn't my two clingy boys been bothering me the past few days?

I raised my eyes and saw the chat comments scrolling again.

[Has the cold wife finally realized shes been ignoring her husband and kid?]

[Too late. The male lead is so used to being rejected that he just pleases himself now. He doesn't want to bother her.]

[Ugh, speaking of which... why is Ethan pulling her lingerie out of the drawer again and getting off to her photo?]

[...Come on guys, cut him some slack. A man has needs.]

[Well, it doesn't matter. Once he meets the sunshine female lead, he won't have to starve himself anymore.]

[The real female lead is super active in bed. She would never leave our boy hanging.]

I stood there, dumbfounded.

What was Ethan doing?

My hand pressed against the bedroom door, and I pushed it open instinctively.

Inside the master bedroom.

Ethan had one hand tucked under the waistband of his sweatpants, and his left hand was holding his phone. His cheeks were flushed with a deep crimson.

Hearing the door, he slowly turned his head.

When he saw me, his eyes widened instantly.

His entire body froze like a massive Golden Retriever caught stealing food from the counter.

"E-El... Elena! When did you get back?"

"I... I was just..."

I walked over, picked up the phone Ethan had hurriedly tossed onto the bed, and unlocked it with my birthday.

The screen showed a photo of me sleeping in my silk pajamas. It was actually a beautiful shot. The morning sun hit my skin, giving me a soft, ethereal glow.

I bit my lip.

I pulled Ethan out from under the duvet, slipped off my outer cardigan with one hand, and crawled right onto his lap.

Oh, so the new girl is supposed to be "active," huh?

Who says I can't be active?

If I'm active enough, you can forget about sending me to some upstate cabin!

The body beneath me instantly turned scalding hot.

Ethan's ragged breath tickled my ear. He wrapped his hands gently but firmly around my waist, his voice husky.

"What's gotten into you today? Aren't you tired?"

I bit my lip and shook my head.

"I missed you."

Ethan couldn't hold back anymore. He leaned up and kissed me hungrily.

The next morning, sunlight poured through the window.

Ethan was downstairs in the kitchen making breakfast.

As I lay in bed alone, the live comments popped up again.

[Are there any VIP users who know what happened last night? Did they actually do it?]

[They did! I'm shocked. Why did she suddenly become so aggressive... what about our sunshine girl Chloe?]

[It doesn't matter. With her weak stamina, how could she satisfy Ethan?]

[Look at him. He looked so unsatisfied when he went down to cook this morning.]

[He obviously stopped after one round just to make sure she wouldn't get too tired. If this keeps up, hes going to get bored of her sooner or later.]

...

"Sigh."

I closed my eyes as the memories of last night flooded back.

The comments weren't entirely wrong. Ethan's stamina was insane.

Plus, since he had been starved for so long, his desire last night was incredibly intense.

When we were newly married, he would usually wrap himself around me all night, going multiple rounds until we were both completely exhausted.

But last night, he really did stop after just one round.

Was he really just worried that I'd be too tired to keep up?

With that thought, I threw on a thin satin slip dress and walked down to the kitchen.

Ethan was putting scrambled eggs onto the plates. When he looked up and saw what I was wearing, the tips of his ears flushed bright red.

The chat comments started complaining again.

[See? I told you one round wasn't enough!]

[The moment he saw the hickey on her collarbone, he got a massive hard-on. The man is starving.]

[If she can't satisfy him, she should just hand him over. Seriously.]

[Chloe would never say no to him. Once they're together, they can have all the wild nights they want!]

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to ignore the text.

I walked over, wrapped my arms around Ethan's waist, and pressed my front against his back.

Mustering up my courage, I was about to tell him that I wasn't actually that tired, and that last night had felt amazing...

But before I could speak, my phone buzzed. It was my assistant, Carter.

"Hey Elena, do you have some time today? The team from Eastside Realty wants to discuss the contract details this afternoon. Can you make it to the office?"

Hearing Carter's voice on the line, Ethan's body instantly went rigid.

He gently untangled himself from my embrace.

"Is it work?"

"If it's urgent, you should go."

Carter was a workaholic just like me. His brain was 100% occupied by work. Not only did he grind, but he also expected everyone else to grind. Sometimes hed text me spreadsheets at midnight.

But I had promoted him specifically so he could take over my position. Now that he was ready, he needed to start handling things independently.

Besides, Leo's Parent-Teacher Conference was this afternoon. I absolutely couldn't miss it.

I shook my head and declined Carter's request over the phone.

"The real estate deal is basically wrapped up. The remaining stuff is just minor details. Handle it yourself, and just email me the meeting notes."

Carter grunted in agreement.

"Got it. I'll let you know if anything goes sideways."

The comments began scrolling rapidly.

[Wait, what? The workaholic wife actually declined a meeting? Whats going on?]

[Every time that little assistant called her, she used to run off. I honestly thought they had something going on.]

[Even Ethan is shocked. Look at the way he's looking at her right now.]

I turned to look at Ethan.

Sure enough, his eyes were wide with surprise. He clearly hadn't expected me to stay.

I hugged him again, leaning into his chest, wanting to pick up where we left off.

"Ethan, do you want to..."

To my surprise, Ethan gently pushed me back.

This was the first time he had ever rejected me.

He looked down, his voice slightly raspy.

"I'm sorry, El."

"The hospital just called. My mom's condition got worse."

"She might need emergency surgery this afternoon, and I have to go sign the consent forms. I'm afraid you'll have to handle Leo's school conference on your own."

Ethan's mother had always been in poor health. Thanks to advanced medical tech and the private doctors the family hired, she had been stable for the past few years. But if Ethan was this worried, it had to be serious.

I immediately agreed.

"Go. You head to the hospital, and I'll go to Leo's school. Don't worry, your mom is going to be fine."

After setting the plan, Ethan and I went our separate ways.

Leo's school was in the city center, which was a bit of a drive from our suburban estate. After eating, I jumped into my SUV and started driving.

According to GPS, I would arrive about thirty minutes early.

But halfway there, the chat comments popped up again.

[Attention, everyone!]

[We have finally reached the plot twist! The male lead is about to meet our sunshine girl today!]

[Chloe works at the very hospital where Ethan's mom is admitted.]

[As the lead doctor, Chloe won't just save his mom with her incredible medical skills; shes also going to warm Ethan's lonely heart with her bright personality.]

[Ethan has been iced out by his wife for so long. How could he not fall for someone as warm and sweet as Chloe?]

[The chemistry between them is going to be off the charts. Get ready for some major romance, guys!]

...

The female lead.

The girl the comments claimed was Ethan's destiny.

Was she really appearing today?

And were they really going to... fall in love?

Reading those comments, my chest tightened. My mind went completely blank for a split second.

In my daze, my hands slipped on the steering wheel.

The SUV veered off course, scraping violently against the guardrail with a loud screech of rubber on asphalt.

I gasped, slamming my foot hard onto the brakes

Fortunately, my reflexes were fast enough to prevent a major accident.

I got out of the car to inspect the damage. There were some nasty scratches, but nothing structural.

Still, by law, I had to wait for the police to file an accident report.

I checked my watch.

Time was ticking away, and anxiety began to claw at my chest.

The comments turned on me, mocking my failure.

[Lmao, she promised she'd go to the school event, and now shes going to flake again, right?]

[Don't make promises you can't keep. You're just disappointing the kid.]

[Thank god Leo meets Chloe later in the story and finally gets the maternal love he deserves.]

[Chloe is never cold to Leo, which is why he gets so attached to her.]

My chest felt incredibly heavy.

If I could tolerate Ethan being taken away from me by some cosmic plot, there was absolutely no way I was going to let another woman take my son.

I grew more and more frantic.

By the time the police finished the report, I quickly called our estate manager to tow the car for repairs. Then, I hailed an Uber and rushed to the school.

When I finally slipped into the classroom, the conference had already been going on for an hour.

The teacher was answering questions from other parents.

I tried to sneak in through the back door and spotted Leo sitting in his seat.

His head was low, looking incredibly dejected. The chubby kid sitting next to him was poking his arm with a pen.

"Wheres your mom?"

"Why didn't she show up for you?"

"School started weeks ago, and no one has ever seen her... Leo, do you even have a mom?"

Leo clenched his little fists, his eyes welling up with tears.

Seeing this, I rushed over to him.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry. Mommy got into"

Before I could finish, Leo squirmed out of my embrace. His voice trembled with a tiny, heartbroken sob.

"You lied to me again, Mommy."

"I... I don't ever want to love you again."

That was the first time Leo had ever said he didn't love me.

In the past, no matter how many times I rejected him after work, he would always run up to me the next day with a huge smile, acting like my little shadow.

The chat screen exploded.

[Karma is a bitch. Love to see it.]

[Shes never getting Leo's affection back!]

[Don't cry, Leo! Your daddy is about to find you a much better mommy who will actually cherish you!]

...

I froze in place.

The conference ended shortly after. The teacher, noticing the tense atmosphere, walked over and asked to speak with me privately in the hallway.

Her tone carried a hint of disapproval.

"Leo is a very sweet, brilliant boy, Mrs. Henderson. You don't have to worry about his academics."

"But he has high emotional needs. You really need to show up for him more."

"Take today, for instance. You can't just show up when the meeting is basically over"

She suddenly stopped.

Her eyes fell on my arm, and she gasped in horror.

"Oh my god, Mrs. Henderson, are you hurt?"

"Your sleeve is covered in blood! Let me call an ambulance!"