After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 575

Susan leaned in, her voice soft but insistent. “Jennifer said you don’t have to go through with the divorce if you don’t want to. It’s okay to change your mind, you know. Ethan, does this mean Jennifer is finally okay with Isabella?”

Ethan paused and looked at her, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. “Susan, let’s talk about this tomorrow. You should get off work.”

Susan could be a bit much sometimes, especially when Isabella needed rest. He didn’t want her chatter to wake Isabella up.

“Alright, Ethan. I’ll head out. Take care of Isabella, okay?”

With that, Susan turned and went downstairs. Once she was gone, the apartment felt a lot quieter. The silence was a relief.

Ethan scooped Isabella up and carried her into his bedroom. Since they got married, she’d barely ever been in his room. He could count the times on one hand. It was almost funny. They were getting divorced, but now he was letting her into his most private space.

He laid her gently on the bed, but he didn’t move away. For a moment, he just hovered over her, arms still wrapped around her. He whispered, “Isabella, I know I messed up. I really do.”

“Why can’t you just give me another chance? Am I really that impossible?”

She was fast asleep, totally unresponsive. Ethan knew he only dared to be this vulnerable because she was unconscious. If she were awake, she’d probably slap him and walk out without a second thought.

He propped himself up, looking down at her with a mix of love and regret. He reached out and caressed her face, his fingers gently tracing her skin, every inch precious to him.

“Isabella,” he whispered, again and again, almost like a prayer.

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “I’m not giving up. I’m going to chase you all over again, until you fall for me one more time.”

“What happened in that dream never happened in real life. You can’t hate me because of something that never even happened.”

He grabbed some pajamas from the closet, threw them on without much thought, and retreated to the little study off the bedroom. Tonight, he’d sleep there. The bed was for Isabella.

He couldn’t trust himself to sleep beside her, not right now. Even though they were technically divorced, he still wanted another shot at winning her back. But until she loved him again, he didn’t have the right to cross that line.

“Funny, isn’t it,” Ethan muttered to himself. “Back then, I was afraid she’d expect me to act like a real husband. Now I want to, and she doesn’t need me anymore.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “I really am pathetic.”

Only now, when he was about to lose her, did he finally realize what he had. Too late, as always.

Susan had said Jennifer might be accepting Isabella. But it wasn’t really acceptance. Jennifer just saw the truth. She knew that, besides Natalie, Isabella was the only woman Ethan ever truly cared about. And she knew that if he let Isabella go, he’d probably end up alone for the rest of his life.