After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 392

“Grandma, do you use social media?” Isabella asked Stephanie, her eyes bright with curiosity.

Stephanie gave her a playful smile. “I might be getting older, but I can keep up with the trends. Of course I use social media. Come here, Isabella, let’s add each other. It’ll be much easier for us to chat.”

They both pulled out their phones, exchanging contact info with a few quick taps.

Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but Stephanie shut him down with a wave of her hand. “Save it. We’re going back inside, and you’re going to explain everything properly. I don’t want anyone thinking Isabella’s done something wrong.”

She glanced over at Ethan’s mother. “And while you’re at it, you can talk to your mom, too. If she really wants to pay Isabella to leave you, tell her to offer more. And make sure the money actually arrives before she expects anything to happen.”

Then Stephanie turned to Isabella, her voice softening. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go inside.”

Isabella nodded and gently took Stephanie’s arm. “Alright.”

The two of them, one old and one young, left Ethan standing there while they headed back toward the house.

Inside, the living room was still buzzing. Everyone was hanging around, quietly speculating on why Ethan had suddenly brought Isabella back. As soon as Isabella came in with Stephanie, the conversation died out.

Ethan followed them in.

They all sat down again, and Stephanie offered Isabella some fruit, encouraging her to eat. Sophia glared at Isabella every chance she got, rolling her eyes when Stephanie wasn’t looking.

Jennifer tried to smile, but it looked forced. She was clearly nervous that Ethan might discover she’d secretly visited Isabella.

She’d even offered Isabella a huge settlement—two hundred million—for a marriage that hadn’t even lasted three months. But Isabella turned it down. Jennifer thought she was just greedy, clinging to the Adams name and all the luxury that came with it.

“Let Ethan answer for himself,” Stephanie said.

After a long pause, Ethan finally met his parents’ eyes. “Mom, Dad… the person I love is Natalie.”

The room went quiet. No one looked shocked.

Ethan went on, his voice rough. “After Natalie married Jordan, he told me to stop coming around the Lane family. He said he didn’t want me near Natalie anymore, that she was his wife now. Even though I was her friend, he said it wasn’t right for us to be so close.”

As Ethan spoke, the memory came back to him, sharp and painful. It felt like his chest was being torn open all over again.