The Invisible Wife Turned Savage novel Chapter 201

Chapter 201 Quiet Warmth

After dinner, Estella brewed herself a cup of herbal tea.

Jonathan arrived around ten, as he usually did, carrying food and a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Estella was starting to feel like she’d gained weight recently, probably from all the late-night meals he always brought.

Catching the smell of chicken soup in the air, Jonathan smiled. “You made soup?”

Estella nodded and took the food he handed her. One look told her it was from a nice local

restaurant.

“You went all that way just to get this?”

Jonathan washed his hands and dried them as he replied, “I had dinner with a client near there tonight. Since I know you love that restaurant, I packed some for you.”

Whenever he came across good food, he always thought of her.

Estella smiled, fetched two bowls, and ladled out the soup.

Jonathan wasn’t hungry, but a hot bowl of soup at night was comforting.

The broth was rich and flavorful. He finished every drop, even the chicken, his face full of satisfaction.

“My friend’s free-range chickens really are good,” he said. “As they say back in Grenton, a real chicken should taste like chicken.”

Estella knew how much he loved Grenton food culture.

Though born in Kingston, he had completely absorbed Grenton customs.

Then he suddenly remembered something and rubbed his forehead. “Another friend is sending me ten pounds of lamb and ten pounds of beef. Looks like we’re going to be suffering from too much food this New Year.”

Estella couldn’t help but look worried, already wondering how to deal with so much meat.

Jonathan reassured her, “In two weeks I’ll be on vacation. I’ll make lamb stew for you then. My roast beef and lamb aren’t bad either…”

Hearing him plan for the holidays, Estella asked curiously, “So you’re not going back to Kingston this year?”

Jonathan began cleaning up, washing the bowls. “No. Too noisy at home. A bit suffocating.”

After washing the dishes, he even wiped down the stove, then scrubbed his hands again.

Leaning against the kitchen doorway with her milk tea, Estella asked, “You have a big family?”

Jonathan mopped the floor. “Quite a few. My grandma, mom, older brother, sister-in-law, two nephews…”

Estella laughed. “That doesn’t sound like a lot.”

Jonathan tossed a wad of tissue with some hair into the trash. “And then my extended family comes too. Close to a hundred people. We usually need more than ten tables for meals.”

Estella pictured someone like Jonathan-so reserved-surrounded by endless relatives. He must hate it.

Smiling, she teased, “Won’t your mom be upset if you don’t go home?”

Jonathan packed up the takeout containers with a sigh. “Honestly, I just want to avoid all the nagging. I have my own life, and I don’t like the elders making decisions for me.”

By the time he’d finished, her entire apartment was spotless.

Estella quickly protested, “You should rest. Don’t come over only to clean my place every time.”

Last time, he had even scrubbed her bathroom while he was there.

She really didn’t know what to say.

Jonathan, a bit of a neat freak, wasn’t just particular about his own place-apparently he liked tidying hers too.

“It’s no trouble,” he said simply. “Don’t think too much of it.”

Estella was speechless.

When it got late, Jonathan prepared to leave.

On his way out, he reminded her, “Your bathroom’s leaking. I called a repairman, he’ll come tomorrow night. I’ll come too.”

Estella couldn’t help but laugh. “Got it.”

By now, he knew her apartment better than she did.

Carrying out the trash, he suddenly added, “I might be out of town the day after tomorrow. If you need anything, just call me.”

Amused, Estella smiled at the door. “Didn’t you already say that last time?”

Jonathan paused. “I did?”

“Mm, last week.”

He always gave her plenty of notice whenever he traveled.

He chuckled. “Maybe I forgot. Anyway, I’ll get going.”

Estella stood at the doorway watching him leave, lips curved in a smile.

Their time together was always filled with small, ordinary things, yet it warmed her in a way nothing else did.

At noon the next day, Estella had planned to meet Selene for lunch, but Selene said she had a date with a younger guy. Lana was out on assignment.

So Estella decided to eat alone.

The moment she stepped into a restaurant, she ran into someone she had no desire to see.

She turned to leave, but was blocked.

“Estella, I need to talk to you.”