After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 1

“We can try to get through this, or we can just end it here. Did you really think I married you out of love? I married you because you’re Natalie’s sister-in-law. The only reason I wanted you was to have an excuse to see her more often.”

“So you want a divorce? Fine. Let’s go to the registry tomorrow. Whoever backs out is a coward.”

“Everything I have is mine from before we got married. You’ll leave with nothing. You’ve lived in my house, eaten my food, used my money. I gave you thirty thousand a month just for you to keep the title of Mrs. Adams, nothing more.”

“I gave you the best life money can buy, what else do you want? You pushed Natalie, made her fall, and because of you she lost her baby. I haven’t even made you pay for that yet. Isabella Lane, you’d better take care of yourself from now on.”

“…Three years of marriage, and all I did was use you. Watching you fall so far, with no one left to care… Maybe because of our past, I’ll make sure you get a proper burial. Life is too harsh. Don’t come back in your next one… Isabella Lane, I’m sorry.”

…

A loud crack of thunder ripped through the night and yanked Isabella Lane out of her nightmare.

She sat up fast, heart pounding, and hit the light switch. She was in her room, just like always. Everything around her was familiar.

This was the guest room in Ethan’s villa, the same one she’d been living in since the day they got married. For three years, they’d been husband and wife in name only, always sleeping in separate rooms.

Ethan was the heir to the Adams family, the richest, most powerful family in Cabinda. Their fortune was measured in the billions. He was young, good-looking, and insanely wealthy. He’d taken over the massive Adams Group at twenty-eight, becoming the youngest CEO in the city.

On paper, Isabella should have been the luckiest woman alive. She’d married the perfect man. But she wasn’t happy at all.

“I’m using you, but I’ve also given you the title of Mrs. Adams and the best life you could ask for. When we’re in public, I’ll act like your loving husband.”

“But know your place. You’re just a pawn. Don’t get any ideas. I will never touch you.”

“And make sure you visit your mom often. Every time you go, I’ll come pick you up.”

Those words shattered everything for Isabella. She couldn’t believe Ethan had only ever used her, that he’d never cared. He only loved Natalie.

She couldn’t accept it. She really had fallen for him, and that made her desperate. She started acting out, constantly picking fights with Natalie, trying to make Jordan think there was something going on between his wife and Ethan.