His Housewife Had Secret Identities novel Chapter 15

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Nearly two hours had passed since the dinner party began, and Jonathan hadn't touched a drop of alcohol.

Niamh guessed his old stomach troubles must be acting up again.

These days, she and Jonathan were in the midst of a divorce. The herbal tonic she used to brew for him at every meal—she hadn't bothered to make it. Jonathan couldn't have taken it either, since only she knew the exact recipe, the right proportions, and the timing for each ingredient.

Let him suffer, she thought for a fleeting, bitter moment—maybe the pain would finish him off.

But she could never bring herself to be that cruel.

Instead, Niamh pulled out her phone and carefully typed out every detail of the stomach remedy: the name of each herb, the precise measurements, the step-by-step instructions for brewing it. Before hitting send, she hesitated, wondering if she should add a polite note or a word of explanation.

She typed, erased, rewrote—several times—before finally sending only the recipe, without a single extra word.

Jonathan's phone received the WhatsApp message, but he wasn't the one who opened it.

Marina turned her back to the crowd, memorized the message Niamh had sent, then deleted it completely.

Jonathan was still busy mingling.

Tonight, he was here to accompany Marina, but plenty of people recognized him, and socializing was unavoidable. Still, he refused every glass offered—his stomach hurt so badly, he couldn't bear the thought of alcohol.

The pain gave him an icy, distant air, as if everything about the evening displeased him.

"Jonathan…"

As the party was winding down, Jonathan saw Marina approaching with a steaming bowl of herbal broth.

He recognized the smell instantly. But he'd only developed stomach problems after their relationship ended—back when they were together, he'd been healthy.

"How did you know about my stomach issues? And this remedy…"

Jonathan glanced in Niamh's direction.

"Come on, I know you better than anyone," Marina replied sweetly. "I got this recipe from an old family doctor—guaranteed to help."

In truth, Marina had sent Olive and Lily out to buy the herbs using the recipe Niamh had messaged her. With no time to brew it properly, they'd just stirred up a quick version—still, it might do some good.