After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 1204

If someone just wanted to ruin her friendship with Isabella, there were a million ways to do it without committing a major felony like kidnapping.

"You have to talk to her, Harold. Find an excuse to ask her if there's someone out there she hasn't told us about. Because if this really was about her, those psychos are going to come after the rest of the family."

"I was lucky you guys found me so fast. What if our family isn't so lucky next time?"

Barbara wasn't attacking Isabella's character, but when it came to the survival of her entire family, she couldn't afford to be sentimental.

Harold nodded slowly. "Once we have the full investigation report, I'll talk to her."

He paused, staring at the floor. "I've always had this gut feeling that she and Ethan share a secret. Something big. Something they refuse to let anyone else in on."

"I didn't want to force it out of her. I figured when she was ready, she'd tell me."

"What kind of secret could they possibly have?"

Harold wasn't jealous; he was genuinely baffled by the invisible tether connecting his girlfriend and her ex-husband.

"Ethan was almost kidnapped a while back," Harold recalled. "Do you think there's a connection between that and today? The guys who went after Ethan were all arrested."

"But they had associates. Remember the night Dave's crew broke into the George residence to get revenge on Isabella? I was the one who called the cops."

Barbara nodded slowly. "Do you think Dave's boss is behind this? Like, whoever backed his gang is now coming after Isabella? She's surrounded by bodyguards now, so maybe they couldn't get to her and came after me instead to send a threat?"

"It's highly possible. If these guys are backed by an underworld kingpin, we need to dig deep into this."

Barbara hummed in agreement, then looked her brother dead in the eye. "Harold... if this really is Isabella's fault, and it means our family will constantly be in the crosshairs of these thugs, what are you going to do?"

She had finally broken free and started fresh with a new romance, only for this nightmare to erupt.

But as much as Barbara pitied her friend, she knew exactly where her own loyalties lay.

Harold's face shifted through a dozen emotions before he finally spoke. "Let's find out the truth first."

His love for Isabella was profound. Fighting tooth and nail to get to where they were hadn't been easy.

The thought of abandoning her physically ached.

But if staying with her meant his family would face endless tragedy, the guilt would destroy him. They were his blood.

"First, we find out who pulled the strings. Once we drag them out into the light, we end the threat."