After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 410

“I still remember the day Ethan brought over the wedding gifts,” Isabella said, her tone calm and steady. “There were reporters everywhere, snapping photos. It was all over the entertainment news. They even said the gifts were worth hundreds of millions, calling it a record-breaking sum.”

“It’s been more than three months since then. Even if you just put that money in a regular bank account, the interest alone would be a lot by now. But I’m not here to argue about interest. Natalie, I just want the original amount back. That’s all.”

The room went completely silent. It was so quiet, you could hear the smallest sound. Natalie stared at Isabella, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Was Isabella really asking for her wedding gifts back?

Ethan had always been generous with Isabella. The list of gifts he sent was incredibly long. When Natalie first saw it, she felt a mix of envy and resentment she could hardly hide. Compared to what Jordan gave her when they got engaged, it was no contest at all. Ethan’s gifts to Isabella almost surpassed Natalie’s entire net worth. Her own wedding gifts barely made it past a hundred million, and Jordan’s contribution wasn’t much more.

When Natalie saw the actual gifts, her jealousy just took over. She didn’t bother to ask Jackson or Cynthia what they thought. She only talked to Jordan, saying she wanted to keep some of the gifts for herself. Jordan was always on her side and understood her perfectly. He told her that, as the lady of the house, she was in charge of all the wedding arrangements for Isabella. It was up to her to decide what Isabella could take with her to her new home. So Natalie took it for granted and kept a huge chunk of Isabella’s wedding gifts.

Jackson stayed quiet when he found out. Cynthia tried to stand up for Isabella, but Natalie yelled at her until she gave up. Isabella, not wanting to make things harder for her mother, convinced Cynthia to let it go. Back then, Isabella was easy to push around. She would never have dared to speak up like she was doing now. There was even a time Ethan saw Natalie wearing a piece of jewelry that belonged to Isabella. She pretended she was going to give it back, but Ethan told her to just keep it. So Natalie felt justified holding onto Isabella’s fortune.

“Isabella, what are you even saying?” Natalie finally snapped, her voice getting higher and sharper.

“She just said she feels fine, Ethan,” Isabella replied, not taking her eyes off Natalie. “Let me ask you. When you sent those gifts, didn’t you say they were all for me?”

Ethan glanced at Natalie, then looked back at Isabella. Her steady gaze seemed to pin him in place. After a moment, he pressed his lips together and finally said, in a strained voice, “Yes.”

Right before the wedding, Ethan’s grandmother had warned him to make it crystal clear that the gifts were for Isabella. Otherwise, the Lane family would just take them for themselves. They had always treated Isabella like an outsider, even though she was about to marry into the country’s most powerful family. Ethan’s gifts were meant to give Isabella pride and status, something she could call her own.