After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 422

"I know how much you care about Natalie. You try to hide it, but it's clear you love her," Keith said, his voice gentle. "You two grew up together. Most people never have a bond like that."

"But Natalie is Jordan's wife now. No matter how much it hurts, you have to let her go. You can't keep holding on."

"And honestly, Natalie's heart belongs to Jordan. They're in this together. I never mentioned any of this before because you never brought it up, but now that you're asking, I'm telling you the truth."

Keith continued, "Isabella was adopted into the Lane family. You know the kind of life she had there. There's no way they would've given her a proper wedding gift. It's a good thing you were generous with her, because Jackson cares about appearances and Cynthia is her real mom, but neither of them would have kept those gifts for themselves."

"Those gifts were supposed to go with Isabella to the Adams family. That was your way of making sure she didn't look like she had nothing. But your so-called friends kept those gifts for themselves. What gives them the right? It's not just about greed. They're selfish. You marrying Isabella is the biggest thing in your life, and still, they let your wife show up with nothing."

"They never cared about your reputation or your feelings. They never wanted you to be happy. By making things hard for Isabella, they embarrassed you too, and you just let it happen. If you want to do that to yourself, fine, but why drag Isabella into it?"

Ethan didn't say anything. His face was getting paler by the second.

Everyone around him kept blaming him. Was he really the one at fault?

"Mr. Adams, why keep friends like that? All they'll ever do is take advantage of you. The only reason they won't give back those wedding gifts is because they want you and Isabella to break up. They're scared you'll actually fall for her and then they won't get anything out of you anymore. Especially Natalie. She's used to you putting her first. She can't stand the thought of you caring about Isabella instead. She's the one who wants the divorce more than anyone."

"Take this chance to get those gifts back for Isabella. If they decide to cut you off because of it, let them. Friends like that aren't worth it."

Ethan didn't answer. His hand shook as he picked up the glass of warm water Keith had poured for him and drank it all in one go.