After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 448

"Isabella has her own car and knows how to drive. Does she really need you to pick her up?" Jordan asked, sounding a little exasperated. "Ethan, the three of us haven't had drinks together in ages. Natalie is feeling really low. She keeps saying you don’t care about us anymore."

He went on, "The swelling on her face is finally gone, but she still cries. Every time she thinks about what happened today, it just hits her all over again. I tried cheering her up, but nothing works. You know, she’s never once been yelled at or hit by her parents, and today she got both. Her mom didn’t hold back either. There was this bright red handprint across her cheek. Her dad went off on both of us, and now he’s ordered us to apologize to you and Isabella. Ethan, we messed up. Please, at least give us a chance to make it right."

"We grew up together. My earliest memories are with you and Natalie. Nearly thirty years of friendship can’t just end because of this, right?"

Jordan tried to make Natalie sound as helpless and miserable as possible. But honestly, she really was miserable. Her dad’s anger, her mom’s slap, and Ethan suddenly drawing a line she couldn’t cross—it was all too much. Her parents were mostly upset about the embarrassment she’d caused them, but what hurt most was losing Ethan’s blind support. That was the sharpest cut of all.

Jordan and Natalie both knew what would happen if Ethan stopped making things easy for them. If everything became strictly business, they’d lose those sweet deals with the Adams Group. No more special treatment. Without those perks, Lane Group would get left behind, and their competitors would be all too happy to take advantage.

Jordan’s call had nothing to do with friendship. He was just thinking about his family’s future. Using Natalie to tug at Ethan’s heartstrings was a move he’d made plenty of times before. No matter how much Ethan cared for Natalie, she was Jordan’s wife. Ethan wouldn’t dare cross any lines. Meanwhile, Jordan got all the real benefits.

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