After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 55

Ethan went quiet for a long moment.

After a while, he finally said, “If you gave it to her, then that’s that. You’re younger than she is, and honestly, you look great even without fancy skincare. You’ve got youth and good genes. That’s more than enough.”

“Okay,” Isabella replied, but she knew better than to hope for more. Ethan was never going to take her side. Almost every gift he’d ever given her had somehow ended up with Natalie Gates, and it wasn’t like he didn’t notice. Natalie always made sure Ethan knew exactly what she’d taken from Isabella. He never said a word to Natalie about it, and he never comforted Isabella either.

Isabella’s phone started ringing. Jennifer’s name flashed on the screen. She answered.

“Isabella Lane, do you have a death wish? How dare you throw Sophia out of the house? That’s Ethan’s home, not yours! Who do you think you are?”

“You really think you’re Mrs. Adams? Let me tell you, as long as I don’t say you are, you’re not! Don’t you dare act all high and mighty with Sophia.”

So Sophia had obviously rushed home, dragging her friends with her, and spun her own dramatic version of what happened. Jennifer didn’t even bother to check the facts before calling to yell at Isabella.

Isabella set her phone down on the coffee table and just let Jennifer rant. She listened without saying a single word.

It was Ethan who finally got fed up. He picked up Isabella’s phone, his voice calm but cold. “Mom, tell Sophia that if she brings her friends to my house again, it won’t end with me just asking them to leave.”

“Isabella and I are married. We had a wedding. She’s my wife. If you can’t accept her, then you’re not accepting me as your son. Did you find me on the street or something? Why won’t you accept my choices?”

Jennifer always looked down on Cynthia and wouldn’t even bother saying hello if she saw her. Cynthia had been married into the Lane family for over twenty years, but she’d never broken into high society. She knew her place and mostly kept to herself, taking care of her family and staying out of the social scene.

“Even if Cynthia isn’t perfect, at least she never taught Isabella to go after someone else’s husband,” Ethan shot back. “She wouldn’t be dragging her friends—who all have their eyes on Jordan—into his house, especially knowing he’s married.”

Jennifer was left speechless.

Still annoyed that Ethan was sticking up for Isabella, she tried a new angle. “Maybe I should get someone to teach Isabella some etiquette. She’s going to need it if she’s going to be by your side at social events.”