After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 36

Isabella finished the last grape and set the stem aside before finally breaking her silence. “Ethan doesn’t actually love me.”

Laura blinked in shock. “He doesn’t love you? Then why did he chase after you? Why marry you at all? With everything he has going for him, he could be with anyone. Why would he go out of his way to marry someone he doesn’t even care about?”

“Maybe you’re just overthinking it,” Laura continued. “When he was after you, he was so sweet. He gave you anything you wanted, treated you like you were the center of his world. If he didn’t love you, would you really have fallen so hard? Would you have been so excited to marry him?”

Isabella’s reply came out heavy, her voice tinged with hurt. “Laura, it’s true. Ethan’s heart belongs to Natalie. He’s known her forever. She and Jordan grew up with him. He’s always liked her, but Jordan confessed first, and they ended up together. Ethan just kept his feelings hidden all these years.”

She took a shaky breath. “Jordan isn’t clueless. He knew Ethan had feelings for Natalie. When Jordan and Natalie got married, he told Ethan to keep his distance, not to be so close to her anymore. But the woman Ethan loves is right there in that house. How could he stay away?”

Isabella looked down. “Ethan didn’t want to ruin things with Jordan, so he found another way in. He decided to become Jordan’s brother-in-law.”

“My stepdad Jackson only has one child, Jordan. I’m just the stepdaughter. Even though I took the Lane name, nobody in that family ever really saw me as one of their own. Not even my mom. She’s Mrs. Lane, but she never truly protected me. And because I’m Jackson’s stepdaughter, Ethan figured if he married me, he could become the Lane family’s son-in-law. That way, he always has a reason to visit, always has an excuse to come over, all while pretending he’s just there for me.”

“I cried for days. But eventually, I just accepted it. If all I am to him is a pawn, then fine. He doesn’t want me involved in his life, so I won’t be. I’ll take the money and just live my own life.”

Laura’s voice shook. “But… this is your marriage. This is your whole life. Are you really just going to go along with it?”

“If he’s just using you, why not get a divorce? If it were me, I’d have lost it. I would’ve made a scene, then walked right out.”