Chapter 329

He really was a calculating man.

Katrina didn't even know what to say anymore.

The two of them were surprisingly in sync—without exchanging a single word, they'd both understood what the other meant.

But was that even the point?

The point was, the moment Zoey woke her up and told her he was dead, she felt like she'd died too.

That crushing, all-consuming pain—just thinking about it made her heart spasm. That kind of agony, she never wanted to experience again in her lifetime.

She realized with a pang of sadness that somewhere along the way, without her even noticing, he'd become this important to her.

That lunatic—faking his own death without giving her a heads-up. Wasn't he afraid of scaring her to death?

The more Katrina thought about it, the more her heart ached. Her nose felt stuffed, her tears kept coming, and she wiped them away with her sleeve like a wronged child with no one to turn to.

Noah panicked immediately. He'd already come clean—what else had he done wrong?

"Please don't cry. Hit me, pinch me, whatever you want..." He grabbed her hand and swung it toward himself.

Seeing her cry felt like needles stabbing his heart—tiny, dense pinpricks that spread everywhere, overwhelming him.

"If you'd actually died... what would I have done... you lunatic..." Katrina slapped him hard across the face.

The sharp crack echoed. Noah's face snapped to the side, a vivid handprint blooming across half his cheek.

He finally understood what he'd done wrong. Overjoyed, he grabbed her hand and slapped himself several more times.

"I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you, shouldn't have made you worry. I promise, I'll never do it again..."

Within seconds, both his cheeks turned red, then started bruising purple, like he'd been through domestic violence.

Katrina couldn't bear to hit him anymore. She pulled her hand back. "Feed me!"

Last night, he must've been the one who turned off her alarm. He probably used some trick to make her sleep like the dead.

Noah fed her a bowl of soup, then had someone bring steamed egg custard. The custard was fragrant, soft, and silky. After eating it, she finally started feeling human again.

"What are you planning to do about Natasha?" she couldn't help asking.

Natasha definitely couldn't be sent to prison. After all, on paper she was still the matriarch of the Crane family. If word got out, the entire family would lose face.

And at the end of the day, she was still Noah and Norton's biological mother. That relationship was just that tyrannical.

If she harmed her son, people would at most curse her as heartless. But if Noah dared do the same to her? That would be a whole different problem.

"I'll leave it to Grandpa." Noah's voice was flat, impossible to read.

"This time, you scared him half to death too. He's probably still angry. You'd better give the old man an explanation." Katrina looked at him sympathetically.

When it all went down, she'd seen it clearly—Neville had nearly fainted. If Dr. York hadn't given him that emergency pill in time, something terrible might've happened.

"His reaction surprised me," Noah murmured.

"He just wanted you to inherit the family business before. At most, he was a bit controlling. All old-timers are like that," Katrina said gently.

"This time, you should swallow your pride and apologize to Grandpa."

Noah said nothing.

Katrina didn't push him. She just sat with him quietly, the hospital room peaceful.

After what felt like forever, he suddenly took her hand and said something seemingly random.

"Katrina, I swear to you—for the rest of my life, I won't fall in love with anyone else.

I only love you. I only want to be with you. And I'll do everything I can to make you happy."

At first, the words seemed out of nowhere. But Katrina understood.

He was telling her that even without that marriage contract, even without that wedding, he'd never change his mind.

This was his answer.

Katrina felt something indescribable stir in her chest.

A little bitter. A little helpless. But in the end, she convinced herself.

So what if they didn't get married? As long as they were happy together, wasn't that enough?

It was time to let go of her obsession.

"Words are cheap. I want to see action." Katrina shot him a look.

Noah squeezed her hand. "Just watch. No one will love you more than I do."

---

They stayed in the hospital for two days. Katrina's throat improved significantly—at least talking didn't hurt as much anymore.

On the third day, she went with Noah to the Crane Estate.

Neville sat quietly in the seat of honor, sipping tea, completely ignoring them.

The massive living room felt suffocatingly tense.

Katrina kept shooting Noah meaningful looks, urging him to apologize already.

They'd deliberately bought all kinds of things Neville loved—tea leaves, fountain pens, exquisite pastries. They'd even gotten him the latest custom smartphone, all to win him over.

But now, at the crucial moment, Noah's mouth seemed glued shut. It was maddening.

"Mr. Crane, we came today to apologize," Katrina finally spoke up, unable to stand it anymore.

"Does he need a girl to speak for him? Doesn't he have a mouth?" Neville suddenly slammed his teacup down. It shattered into pieces, tea spilling across the table.

His presence was so commanding that Katrina jumped, not daring to say another word.

Noah finally looked up. Katrina thought he'd say something conciliatory, but his mouth was as stubborn as a mule's. He actually said:

"You shouldn't have come to the hospital that day. If you hadn't gone, nothing would've happened."

Katrina froze.

What kind of person says something so harsh?

"What did you say?" Neville shot to his feet, eyes blazing.

Katrina quickly tugged Noah's sleeve. You idiot, say something nice!

Noah stood there for a long moment, not managing a single word. His expression was pained, like someone was forcing him to do something he didn't want to.

"Forget it. Go home." Neville snorted coldly, shooting Noah a sideways glance. "And don't come back. Save me the aggravation!"

Katrina's heart sank. Not only had they failed today, they'd made things worse. Getting along with Neville would be even harder now.

"Let's go." She tugged Noah's arm and turned to leave.

But Noah stood there like a wooden post, not moving.

Katrina took a step, assuming he'd follow. When he didn't, she turned back in shock—only to see him stepping forward to wipe the wet table for Neville.

A maid approached nervously. "Sir, let us handle this..."

Noah said nothing. He used tissues to soak up the water, carefully cleaned the tea leaves from the surface, and collected the broken pieces of the cup.

"I'll buy you a new one," he said stiffly.

"I don't need you to!" Neville huffed. "Get out! Both of you, get out!"