After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 574

Barbara glanced over, a little envious. “The Mason family really does have the coolest parents. Jesse went after Laura and didn’t get a single word of protest from his family. If anything, they gave him pointers on how to win her over.”

If Laura decided to be with Jesse and joined the Mason family, happiness seemed almost guaranteed. Plus, Jesse had pulled a lot of strings for the Charles family, bringing them business and helping them earn more, so the gap between the families was getting smaller every day.

Harold genuinely cared about Isabella, but his family was nothing like the Masons. And Isabella wasn’t Laura. After her divorce from Ethan, people couldn’t help but see her as “that divorced woman.” Whether it was a man or a woman, being divorced always seemed to carry a bit of a stigma.

Harold fell quiet for a second, then said, “I’ll talk to my parents. None of this is Isabella’s fault.”

“Our parents just don’t see things the way we do,” Barbara replied. “Stuff like this doesn’t bother us, but the older generation is still kind of old school.”

“It’s not Isabella’s fault, but she’ll always be ‘the divorced one’ in their eyes. And you? You’re the golden boy. Heir to the Carter Group. Everyone thinks you could have anyone you want. Of course, your family’s going to push back if you try to be with Isabella.”

Harold didn’t answer right away. He knew his parents well. His dad might be convinced, but his mom was a different story, even though she seemed to like Isabella right now.

If she found out Harold liked Isabella, that goodwill could disappear overnight. She might even start thinking Isabella had used her friendship with Barbara to get close to him before her marriage ended. And she’d probably worry that Harold dating Isabella would mess up his friendship with Ethan.

“Harold, even if you’re not sure things will work out with Isabella, you’ve got to at least try,” Barbara encouraged. “Otherwise, you’ll always wonder ‘what if.’”

“You never know, maybe your family will come around. And if they don’t at first, just keep at it. Sooner or later, they might change their minds.”

“I’m not giving up,” Harold said, his voice steady.

“Good. Go for it.” Barbara smiled. That was all she could do, really—support him.

***

Susan followed, talking as she went. “Ethan, Edward’s butler called me back. Edward’s willing to sell you the house. He wants you to get in touch when you’re ready to talk about the price.”

“Alright. I’ll call him tomorrow,” Ethan replied.

Money wasn’t the problem. As long as Edward was willing to sell, that was enough.

Edward’s villa was about the same size as this one, just in a different style. Since Edward and his wife were older, they liked things a little more classic.

“Jennifer dropped by today. She asked about you and Isabella,” Susan added as they reached the top of the stairs.

Ethan didn’t respond.