That time, Jonathan’s accident hadn’t been her fault.
But this time…
Niamh bit down on her lower lip, her brow furrowing so deeply it seemed it might never smooth out.
“Niamh, Jonathan’s awake. He wants to see you.”
As soon as Sprague poked his head out of the hospital room and said this, Niamh shot to her feet.
But when she walked in, everyone else quietly slipped out.
As she passed Marina in the doorway, Niamh caught the sharp, hostile glare Marina shot her way.
Now, the room was silent—quieter even than the hallway outside. Only Niamh and Jonathan remained.
Niamh looked at Jonathan, pale and weak against the stark white sheets. She opened her mouth to thank him, but Jonathan spoke first, his voice soft:
“Thank you.”
Niamh froze.
Why was Jonathan thanking her?
He’d taken a knife for her—shouldn’t she be the one thanking him?
But Jonathan’s gaze was sincere, unsettling her even more.
“No, you saved my life. I should be thanking you,” she insisted, her tone earnest.
Whatever Jonathan’s reasons for shielding her, the result was that he’d been gravely hurt, and she’d walked away unharmed.
By any measure, she owed him her gratitude.
“No. The one that man hated was me…”
His response caught her off guard.
“That man—he used to be an executive at Neovista Realty. Got laid off.”
Jonathan left it at that, but Niamh was left completely perplexed.
Neovista Realty… if she remembered right, that was Susy’s family business.
If the attacker hated the rich, shouldn’t he be after the Frasers?
Why did Jonathan think it was about him?
Niamh parted her lips to ask, but stopped herself. Jonathan’s business wasn’t hers to worry about.
Silence settled over the room again.
Niamh decided there was no reason for her to stay any longer.
“Well, I’ll let you get some rest, then,” she said, turning to leave.
“I don’t want to rest.”
Niamh glanced back, meeting Jonathan’s eyes.
She’d meant to tell him, “Do as you like,” but he cut her off:
“Tell me a joke.”
Niamh: …What?
She was pretty sure the doctor had said Jonathan was stabbed in the abdomen, not the head.
“The doctor said you should be getting some sleep.”
“Then sing me a lullaby.”
“I think maybe I should go find you a neurologist,” she retorted.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Housewife Had Secret Identities