After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 385

Cynthia cried the whole way there.

When they finally pulled into the restaurant parking lot, Laura found a spot and put the car in park. She glanced over at Cynthia and sighed gently. “Cynthia, you have to stop crying. We need to trust that Isabella can figure things out with Ethan.”

“If we can help her, we will. If we can’t, the least we can do is not make things harder for her.”

“I just want you and Isabella to find a fresh start, you know? You both deserve better than pretending to fit in with those rich families.”

Laura had never wanted to get pulled into that world. No matter how sweet Jesse was, she couldn’t bring herself to say yes. She was too scared to even try. Marriage might look easy, but divorce is a nightmare, especially when the power is so uneven. Women like them always seemed to be fighting an uphill battle.

Sometimes she wished she was like the main characters in her favorite romance novels—girls with secret talents or some amazing family backing them up. But that was just fiction, something to pass the time. Real life didn’t hand out superpowers or secret inheritances. Most people just had to make do with what they had.

Cynthia wiped her eyes again, her voice trembling. “This is all my fault. I wasn’t a good enough mother to Isabella. I didn’t give her the love she needed, and now she doesn’t trust me.”

“I thought she understood me, understood how hard it’s been for me as her mom, but I guess I was wrong…”

Laura reached over and squeezed her hand. “Cynthia, Isabella loves you so much. You’re her mom. No one in this world is closer to her than you are.”

“But I let her down,” Cynthia whispered, guilt heavy in her words.

Looking back, it was no wonder Isabella had changed so much after coming home to the Lane estate. She’d been holding in so much pain, and Cynthia had missed it.

And Ethan… She’d completely misjudged him.

“Let Ethan see what it feels like to fight for someone he took for granted. He deserves a taste of heartbreak after everything he put her through.”

Secretly, Laura hoped Isabella would never go back to him. There were plenty of good men out there. Isabella deserved someone who truly cared for her, someone who understood her, someone who came from her world. Or maybe she’d just stay single and enjoy her freedom, like she always joked about. Sometimes it was better that way. People changed, and a second marriage didn’t guarantee happy endings.

“If Isabella and Ethan really get divorced, she shouldn’t look back,” Laura said. “There’s no sense in going back to what hurt you. Being a daughter-in-law in that family is a nightmare, and Jennifer is impossible to deal with.”

Cynthia looked at Laura, her expression finally steady. “Don’t worry. I’m on Isabella’s side from now on. I won’t hold her back anymore.”

Laura opened the car door and smiled. “Come on, let’s get some Burgundy Fondue. Honestly, there’s nothing in the world that a good meal can’t fix.”