After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 379

Men always seemed to go for younger, prettier women. Jackson should love her, Deborah thought, not Cynthia.

“It’s not really about love,” Jackson said quietly. “We’ve been together twenty years. Maybe there wasn’t much glory in it, but she’s been by my side through everything. There’s a kind of family bond there, you know?”

Deborah shot back, “And what about me and Kevin? Don’t we count as family to you? Are you seriously going to let Kevin spend his whole life as a secret? He’s your son too. Why should Jordan get everything while Kevin gets nothing? Jordan gets to stand in the light, but Kevin has to hide in the shadows? You always say Kevin’s the one you cherish most, but honestly, it still feels like you love Jordan more.”

She turned away, pretending to be angry, not wanting to look at him.

Jackson looked at her, his face tired. “Have you ever thought about what would happen if I divorced Cynthia and married you? Jordan and Natalie would make you and Kevin their targets. Kevin’s just ten, but Jordan’s thirty. He’s spent years in the business world. He might not be as sharp as Ethan, but he’s got his own ways, and he’s even more ruthless. Natalie has the whole Gates family behind her. She acts gentle, but she’s just as cunning as Jordan. If the two of them teamed up against you and Kevin, you’d have no defense.”

“Jackson, just divorce Cynthia and marry me. Stand with me and Kevin. That’s all I want. I’m not asking for the whole Lane fortune. I just want you to treat both your sons the same. Jordan’s already gotten way more than Kevin ever will. You gave him everything his mother left behind.”

Jackson’s first wife had been from a wealthy family, maybe not as rich as the Lanes, but she’d had plenty. If she’d lived, she would have helped Jackson make the Lane Group even stronger. When she died, she left a huge inheritance. Jackson had only been in his thirties back then. He knew he couldn’t stay single forever, but marrying again always felt like betraying her and Jordan. So he never touched a cent of her money. He gave it all to Jordan. It wasn’t as much as the Lane fortune, but it was still worth hundreds of millions.