Chapter 775

Naomi lowered her head even further, and this time her shoulders trembled slightly. Another sob escaped her lips.

“Y-yeah, I know,” she whispered shakily. “And I’m really grateful. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would’ve-”

“Don’t think about that.”

Naomi never expected Cale to suddenly rise from his seat and walk toward her.

The man crouched down in front of her, gently stroking the top of her head with surprising tenderness. Startled by what he was doing, Naomi slowly lifted her face.

They were close enough now to clearly see one another.

“I won’t let that happen again.” A faint smile appeared on Cale’s lips. “But at least for now, you’re safe with me.

Naomi blinked in confusion. “Will… something like that happen again?”

“No.” Cale immediately denied it with complete confidence. “I’ll make sure you’re safe beside me.”

Naomi stayed quiet for quite a while before finally smiling faintly herself.

“Thank you.”

“You know,” Cale continued softly while brushing away the tear tracks on Naomi’s cheeks, “there used to be a little girl who was much more stubborn than you are now.”

Naomi frowned in confusion. “What?”

It wasn’t only what Cale had said that startled her, but the way he was treating her.

“She used to cry every single time I left.”

Naomi stared at him in disbelief. “Who?”

“You.”

“Me?”

For the first time since they entered the room, the corners of Cale’s lips slowly lifted into a faint smile.

“Every time I came to the Devereux residence, you followed me everywhere.” His gaze drifted slightly, as though he were remembering something from a very long time ago. “Sometimes you were even more troublesome than that. You refused to sleep unless you saw me first.”

Naomi immediately let out a disbelieving laugh. “That’s impossible.”

“You want proof?”

Naomi nodded quickly without hesitation.

Without another word, Cale reached into his black leather wallet and opened one of the smaller compartments inside. His movements remained calm as he carefully pulled out an old photograph, its edges already slightly faded with age.

Then he handed it to Naomi.

1/2

And the moment she looked at the picture, her eyes widened instantly.

+25 Bonus

In the photograph, a little girl with messy hair was clinging tightly to the arm of a teenage boy whose face looked much younger, though still unmistakably recognizable as Cale.

The little girl even looked like she had been crying, gripping his clothes tightly as though terrified he would leave her behind.

Naomi stared at the photograph for several long seconds.

“Oh my God,” she murmured softly. “That’s really me.”

“You were pretty troublesome as a child.”

Naomi still looked unconvinced. “Were we really that close?”

Cale looked at her calmly. “Closer than you realize.”

Without noticing it himself, his hand reached out to fix a loose strand of Naomi’s messy hair.

Memories from the past, memories filled with Naomi, slowly resurfaced in his mind again. The countless days he had spent accompanying her everywhere.

They had been so close that Naomi often fell asleep in his arms.

But if he admitted that now, who knew how Naomi would react? She might accuse him of being the biggest liar

alive.

For a moment, Naomi remained silent while staring at the old photograph in her hands. Strangely, something inside her chest slowly began to feel warm. An unfamiliar feeling but comforting.

And only now did Naomi realize something else too. The way Cale looked at her. The way he spoke to her, even when he sounded rough and irritating. Yet somehow, everything he did had always been for her. Slowly, Naomi lifted her face again and looked at Cale with growing curiosity.

“I never imagined,” she said softly with a faint smile, “that we had memories like this together.”

Cale raised an eyebrow slightly. “Do you want me to tell you more about what you were like back then?”

“Yes,” Naomi replied almost immediately. “I’d love to hear it.”

A faint smile appeared on Cale’s face again. He gently patted the top of Naomi’s head once more.

“I suppose I can spare a little time for you.”

Naomi tilted her head slightly before speaking again, her tone playful yet filled with curiosity.

“Wait…” She held back a quiet laugh. “Don’t tell me that in the past… you actually asked me to become your bride?”