Chapter 774

The moment they passed through the side corridor of the Miller family’s main house, the atmosphere immediately became far quieter compared to the foyer still filled with Josh and Grace’s voices.

Naomi followed behind Cale in silence.

He led her toward a study located at the end of the ground-floor hallway. The large wooden door opened slowly as Cale pushed it inward. The scent of wood and the faint aroma of coffee greeted them the moment they stepped inside.

The room looked neat and peaceful. Tall bookshelves covered most of the walls, while the large windows along one side overlooked the mansion’s back garden, still damp from the early morning rain.

Naomi stood awkwardly near the door.

Cale, who had walked farther inside first, eventually turned back to look at her. “Why are you still standing there?”

Naomi startled slightly. “Ah… no reason.”

“Sit.”

Cale gave the order while slowly removing his travel coat. He moved his injured hand carefully until the coat **finally slipped off his shoulders. He tossed it carelessly onto the back of a sofa before loosening the collar of his

shirt and sitting down casually in one of the chairs nearby.

Naomi slowly lowered herself onto the small sofa near the window, while Cale moved toward the large desk before finally taking a seat facing her.

For a moment, silence settled between them.

Naomi began feeling nervous again, especially when Cale kept looking at her without saying anything.

“I-is there something you wanted to talk about?” she asked quietly.

“There is.”

That short answer only made Naomi even tenser.

Yet contrary to what she expected, Cale’s gaze this time didn’t feel cold like it usually did when he dealt with other people. It was calmer. Softer.

The feeling was strange, but comforting at the same time.

And because of that, without realizing it, Naomi slowly began lowering her own guard.

“You haven’t really talked since that night,” Cale finally said.

Naomi fell silent.

Right. So this was what he wanted to discuss.

“I’m not forcing you to answer right now,” he continued in a low voice. “But I want to know what you’re thinking.”

Naomi instinctively lowered her head. Her hands slowly clasped together in her lap. There were too many things crowding her mind ever since the night of the attack.

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Fear.

Confusion.

And a guilt that refused to leave her alone.

“I…” Naomi drew in a slow breath before speaking softly again. “I just feel like everything changed too fast.”

Cale remained silent, listening carefully.

“A few weeks ago, my life was still normal.” Naomi gave a small humorless smile. “Working part-time jobs everywhere. Avoiding people who had bad intentions toward me. Then suddenly I had to move to another country, meet the Devereux family, almost get kidnapped…”

Her voice gradually weakened.

“And now everyone looks like they’re risking so much because of me.”

Something in Cale’s gaze deepened slightly.

Naomi lowered her gaze again. “Sometimes I think…” She stopped for a few seconds before finally continuing softly, “If we had never met, maybe none of this would’ve happened.”

The room suddenly felt even quieter after those words left her lips.

But instead of agreeing, Cale slowly shook his head.

“You’re wrong.”

Naomi gradually lifted her face, and their eyes finally met.

For the first time since that night, Naomi truly noticed the exhaustion in Cale’s eyes. And somehow, that only made her guilt grow heavier.

“The Devereux family has never stopped facing problems,” he said calmly. “Even if you had never suddenly crossed paths with me, our enemies still would’ve come.”

“But I still brought trouble.”

“Because you carry the Devereux name.”

That answer left Naomi speechless.

Cale’s gaze remained fixed on her. “And the Devereux family was never raised to run away from problems.”

Naomi bit her lower lip softly.

“You have their blood in your veins.” His voice softened slightly. “So stop blaming yourself for things you were never able to control in the first place.”

Naomi didn’t answer immediately.

For some reason, the way Cale spoke this time felt different. There was no pressure in his words. No coldness. No rigid distance.

Instead, he sounded calming.

Familiar.

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And somehow, that only made Naomi’s chest ache even more.

“But you got hurt because of me,” Naomi said quietly, her eyes lowered again.

“I’d rather be the one hurt as long as you’re still beside me.”