Chapter 649

The question didn’t receive an immediate answer from Cale.

Instead, he let out a long breath and leaned back against the sofa. He gestured for his wife to come closer-but Lydia didn’t move. If anything, her gaze sharpened, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest.

“Answer my question first, Cale,” Lydia said, her voice firm with emphasis. She held his gaze-long enough that the air between them shifted. No longer warm like moments ago. Something else had taken its place. Something heavier, filled with

f questions she could no longer ignore after what she had just heard.

“What exactly do you want me to answer?” Cale asked calmly, as if nothing that had just happened was worth worrying about. ” I’m not hiding anything.”

Lydia’s brows drew together instantly. “Then what was that conversation just now? Do you think I didn’t hear it?” Her hands were clenched into fists.

“I simply haven’t told you yet.” His reply came flat, emotionless firm.

Lydia inhaled sharply. “What’s the difference?”

Cale stepped closer, his movements unhurried, as though they weren’t standing in the middle of something that could turn into an argument at any second. “I decide when you need to know.”

J

Silence fell between them.

The words lingered in the air, impossible to dismiss-and they left Lydia stunned.

She couldn’t believe how easily he had said it. “You said you wouldn’t hide anything from me.”

“I’m not hiding anything,” Cale repeated evenly. “I’ve told you the parts you need to know.”

“The parts I need?” Lydia let out a soft, humorless laugh. “And the rest?”

“Isn’t for you.”

The tone wasn’t harsh. It wasn’t forceful. If anything, it was almost casual-but that made it worse. It tightened something in Lydia’s chest.

Was that really how he saw this? Something so… trivial?

“I’m your wife, Cale,” she said quietly, but the weight in her voice was undeniable.

Cale stopped right in front of her. His gaze dropped, locking onto hers, leaving her no room to look away. “I know.”

“Then why-”

“Because you’re my wife,” Cale cut in. “I’m not involving you in this.”

Lydia fell silent.

For a few seconds, she just stared at him, trying to read what lay beneath that calm exterior. But all she found was one thing-

control.

Always control.

And while she had never truly minded it before… this time felt different.

“I don’t need to be protected like that,” she said at last.

“This isn’t about what you need.”

Chapter 649

+25 Bonus

“Then what is it about?”

“What you need to know…” Cale’s voice remained steady. “That’s for me to decide.”

Lydia drew in a deep breath, her emotions rising-but for some reason, she couldn’t fully push back.

Cale was too calm. Too certain.

And that was when Lydia realized, she wasn’t arguing with someone she could force to change.

Cale lifted his hand, brushing Lydia’s cheek gently-the softness of his touch at odds with the firmness of his words.

“You already know enough about what happened between my past and that girl-Naomi,” he said, his voice lower now. “The

rest… leave it to me.”

Lydia pushed his hand away lightly. “You’re always like this.”

“And you’ve never minded, have you?”

Lydia couldn’t answer-because it was true.

Then Cale rested his head against her shoulder, pulling her closer, wrapping her in a firm embrace. He inhaled the scent of her, as if it were something addictive that steadied him.

“Don’t worry, my love. I know what I’m doing,” he murmured softly. “We should get some sleep. You’re not fully rested yet, are you?”

For the first time, Lydia said nothing. She didn’t respond-only stared at him, her gaze distant even as he held her.

“… You don’t want to sleep with me anymore, sweetheart?” Cale asked, searching her face.

In the end, Lydia let out a long breath. “Alright. Let’s go back to sleep.”