After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 278

Ethan glared at her, feeling her teasing laughter echo in his mind. Somehow, she always ended up with the upper hand. He might not have experience, but he wasn’t clueless. He’d figured out enough about life back when he was just a teenager.

Isabella’s brazen smile pushed him over the edge. Acting on impulse, he reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her in close. In one swift motion, he pressed his lips to hers, finally silencing that mouth that always seemed to say just the right thing to drive him mad.

He’d wanted to do this for a while. This time, he didn’t hold back. He kissed her hard, letting instinct take over. Isabella froze, caught off guard. By the time she realized what was happening and tried to push him away, it was pointless. She was trapped, forced to take his kiss whether she wanted to or not.

After what felt like ages, Ethan finally let her go.

“I’m heading to work,” he said, barely glancing at her before getting out of the car and striding into the office building.

Isabella, who’d been ready to lay into him with a string of insults, could only watch him walk away. After a beat, she muttered under her breath, “Unbelievable.”

Seriously, who did he think he was, coming at her with all that fake passion? It wasn’t about love, it was about his stupid pride. Now that she was learning to move on, he couldn’t stand it. He just wanted to win her back to soothe his ego.

Please. As if she’d fall for that. If he really cared, he wouldn’t have waited until now. Besides, this wasn’t even real affection. He didn’t love her. Not really.

No sense in wasting energy on him. She had better things to focus on—like making money and living her life.

“Is there enough for me?” Isabella’s mood immediately lifted. “I’ll come over for dinner later. Evelyn is the best. No wonder the whole place smells amazing the second I walk in. Her pizza is seriously next level. The Lane family’s staff use all these fancy ingredients, but I swear, nothing beats Evelyn’s pizza.” Pork, bacon, and cheese all together—her absolute favorite.

“It’s in the insulated container, still warm. Want to eat now?” Laura offered. “Of course I brought enough for both of us. You know I’d never eat all this alone.” As she spoke, Laura’s eyes drifted over to Isabella’s lips. She leaned in, peering closer, then gently reached out and touched them.

“What’s up?” Isabella asked.

Laura’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Your lips… they look all soft and kissable. Did someone just… make them that way? Wait, did you and Ethan finally kiss?”