After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 526

Isabella slipped her phone into the drawer and turned to Ethan. “You said you wanted to dream tonight, right? Then go to sleep. Stop overthinking. I’m going to bed too.”

She shut her eyes, refusing to look at him, making it obvious she was finished talking about the divorce. There was no changing her mind. This marriage was over, and there was no going back.

Ethan stared at her for a long time before he dragged himself to the edge of the bed. Words kept bubbling up inside him, but every time he saw her turned away from him, he stayed silent.

A dull ache settled deep in his chest.

He had hurt a woman who used to have eyes for no one but him. He was the one who pushed her away, and now she had nothing left for him but disappointment.

Thinking about his dreams and the old memories they dragged up, then comparing them to Isabella’s distant coldness now, the pain inside him only got worse.

Eventually, Ethan lay down, hoping sleep would come and maybe he could pick up the dream where it left off. He needed to know who had hurt her in that dream. But he couldn’t fall asleep, no matter how many times he changed positions or tried to clear his head.

Finally, he gave up. He got out of bed quietly and slipped out into the hallway, leaning against the wall in a daze. He pulled out his phone and ordered two packs of cigarettes, having them delivered right to the hospital.

When the delivery arrived, he stood by the wall, lighting up one cigarette after another. He spent the whole night awake, chain-smoking, lost in thought.

Night turned to day. The darkness faded, sunlight poured in through the windows, and a new day began. But for Ethan and Isabella, their marriage had already fallen into darkness, with no hope of sunlight ever reaching them again.

In the days after, Ethan stopped visiting the hospital during daylight. He only showed up at night to keep watch. He and Isabella hardly spoke at all. He still cared about her, but now it was a quiet, hidden kind of care.

A week passed in a blur.

Before she knew it, it was time for Isabella to leave the hospital.

“Grandma.” Isabella greeted Stephanie with a smile. “What brings you all here?”

Stephanie took Isabella’s hand in hers, giving her a warm, careful once-over. “You’re looking much better. You must be just about back to normal, right?”

“Thanks for caring, Grandma. I’m almost there. The doctor wouldn’t have let me go if I wasn’t.”

“That’s good, but don’t rush back into things. Get plenty of rest when you’re home. Your health comes first.”

Isabella nodded and smiled, promising she would.

She gave a quick hello to Jennifer and the others. When her eyes landed on Sophia, Isabella didn’t say anything, and Sophia didn’t greet her either. There was a flash of annoyance in Sophia’s eyes, but Isabella didn’t care. She was just glad to be going home.