After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 458

She called out for Ethan in her darkest moment, his name tumbling from her lips like a desperate prayer. She wanted so badly for him to swoop in and save her, to be her hero. But Ethan wasn't a god. He never showed up.

She’d asked for a divorce. He finally agreed, but left her with nothing. Not a scrap of pity, not even a backward glance. He was always ruthless, and it was laughable to think he’d ever rescue her. If she died, he probably wouldn’t even cry. He never loved her. To him, she was just a pawn, someone to move around the board. He’d always told her not to bother fighting with Natalie, not to compare herself, because she would never measure up.

So why was she still calling his name? He was never her safe place, never her shield. But in her lowest moment, the only person who might have been able to save her was Ethan. That thought stung. It was almost funny, but mostly it just hurt.

And then she died. After they’d finished with her, they killed her. In those final moments, she heard them say they were only doing a job. The real enemy was the one who paid them, the person hiding in the shadows who wanted her gone. She never found out who it was. Once she was dead, there were no more answers.

They even slashed her face with a knife, ruining her looks. One of them sneered that it was because she was too pretty, that someone hated her for it. Who would be jealous enough to do this? She’d always been beautiful, thanks to her parents, even prettier than Natalie. But all the fighting with Natalie, all the manipulation from Ethan, had stripped her of everything—her dignity, her peace, her sanity.

If it hadn’t been for Ethan, maybe she could have married someone normal, lived an ordinary life. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a fairy tale, but at least she wouldn’t have lost her mind or been hurt like this.

Ethan took Isabella’s other hand, leaned in close, and gently wrapped his arms around her. “Isabella, it’s okay. Don’t be scared,” he murmured. “We’re safe now. You’re safe. Everything’s over. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

He pressed gentle kisses to her tear-stained cheeks, wishing he could chase away her pain. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of nightmare was haunting her. The memory of last night flashed in his mind—her body, shaking uncontrollably, then suddenly exploding with wild strength as she went after one of the kidnappers. She didn’t know how to fight, but she was fierce, reckless, dangerous in her desperation.

She was the reason the kidnappers got caught. She’d chased them down in a car, ramming their van until it flipped. When the police arrived, some of the kidnappers were injured and unconscious, unable to run. The rest tried to escape in other vans, and the police managed to catch a few, but some still got away.