After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 339

Jesse walked with her to the car, holding the door open and gently placing his hand above her head so she wouldn’t bump it as she got in. He told the driver to take it slow and careful. When her car finally pulled away, Jesse got into his own and followed behind, quietly making sure she got home safe in his own way.

Barbara was the last to leave the hotel. She had watched everything, picking up on the little things between Ethan and Jesse. Two glasses of wine barely touched her, not for someone who was used to business events, but she still decided not to drive. Once Ethan carried Isabella out, Barbara called Harold to pick her up.

Harold showed up quickly. When he saw Barbara waiting by herself, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where is everyone? Already gone?”

“Yeah, they’ve all left.” Barbara got into his car. As Harold pulled away, she filled him in. “Isabella was wasted, couldn’t even walk straight, so Ethan had to carry her out. Laura wasn’t drunk, but like me, she shouldn’t be driving. She turned Jesse down and called her own driver, but Jesse couldn’t relax, so he followed her car home. It was his way of making sure she was alright.”

There was a pause before Barbara added, “No wonder you all ended up such good friends. You’re really similar.”

She went on, “Laura’s a great person. Her family is impressive by most standards, but it’s nothing compared to the Masons.” Barbara thought about it for a moment. “Honestly, I doubt the Mason family elders are any easier than the Adams family.”

“When you love someone, you’ll do everything you can to close that gap and make it easy for her to marry you. You’d never let your family say a single bad thing about her.”

Barbara nodded. “It’s true. A woman’s place in her husband’s family depends entirely on him. If he loves her and stands up for her, his family respects her. If he doesn’t, why would they? For a woman to avoid being pushed around by her in-laws, she has to be strong herself, or come from a strong family. Someone like Linda, for example. When she gets married, she’ll still walk with her head held high. No one would dare mess with her.”

Barbara thought about her own family, her cousins who always had her back, and the strength she had built for herself. When she got married one day, she knew she’d be able to stand tall, not afraid of anyone trying to put her down. Like Linda, she was strong, and her family was, too.