Chapter 541
Chapter 541
Though Niamh had mostly been a homemaker in the past, it wasn’t as if she’d never accompanied Jonathan to formal events.
Back then, everything about her appearance-her dress, her jewelry, even what she ordered for dinner-was decided by Jonathan.
He never asked for her opinion, never gave her any say in the matter.
She’d been little more than a beautiful ornament, always following Jonathan’s lead without question.
But tonight was different.
Even when Elmer had invited her here for dinner once before, he’d arranged everything in advance: the evening gown, the accessories-all picked out for her. She was never given a choice.
Yet this time, Jonathan had filled an entire room with outfits for her to choose
from.
Even the menu-before placing the order, he’d asked what she wanted.
He’d handed her the power to decide.
That was something the Jonathan she’d known would never have done. But it was exactly what Jonathan, back in his days at the Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, would have done.
For a fleeting moment, Niamh wondered if Jonathan had really changed at all.
When the food arrived, Niamh was surprised to see that Jonathan had ordered the
exact same meal as her-a set menu, option C.
And set menu C included garlic butter lobster.
As far as Niamh could remember, Jonathan never ate garlic.
He always said it upset his stomach, though Niamh suspected it was just the taste he didn’t like-cooked garlic wasn’t that harsh.
She watched him now as he picked up his fork and knife, eating with his usual elegance. Without hesitation, he brought a piece of garlic butter lobster to his lips.
Still, his eyebrows knit together, twisted as tight as rope.
It was the first time Niamh had ever seen Jonathan force himself to eat something
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he disliked.
His expression was almost comical, and Niamh couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
Jonathan, realizing she was laughing at him, furrowed his brow even more.
But as he kept chewing, his expression slowly relaxed.
Cooked garlic was, after all, far milder than raw. At first, the flavor put him off, but gradually, the caramelized sweetness of the sautéed garlic blended with the lobster’s natural richness. The more he ate, the more addictive it became.
“Not bad,” he admitted. “No wonder you always order this.”
Niamh watched as Jonathan speared another piece of lobster, this time enjoying it wholeheartedly.
“What made you decide to try something new tonight?” Niamh asked, puzzled.
He looked at her seriously. “I just wanted to see why you like it so much.”
If you counted the year they’d been separated, he and Niamh had been married for four years.
And yet, he didn’t even know what she liked to eat, or her favorite color to wear.
He realized, with a dull ache in his chest, that he knew almost nothing about her. Worse, he’d never even cared to find out.
The only thing he’d ever really known was that Niamh loved him-and that, in his mind, had made her his possession.
A small, persistent pain gnawed at him, like a pebble scraping his heart.
Just then, Niamh called his name softly. “Jonathan…”
He interrupted her, changing the subject abruptly. “I handed Marina over to the head of the Vipers’ Nest.”
Niamh blinked, caught off guard by how quickly he’d shifted topics. Clearly, he was deflecting; his instincts told him he wouldn’t want to hear whatever she’d been about to say.
“Honestly, even if you hadn’t, the Vipers’ Nest wouldn’t have let her go,” Niamh replied calmly.
“True enough…” Jonathan gave a wry smile. “Looks like i won’t be winning any points tonight.”
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“Points?” Niamh glanced up at him. “You’re not seriously trying to tell me you did this for my sake, are you?”
Jonathan fell silent, unable to answer.
She was right. Even if he hadn’t called the head of the Vipers’ Nest, Marina’s fate would have been sealed. They were never going to let her walk away.
