After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 606

Harold shifted the conversation back to his mom. “Mom, what’s your ideal daughter-in-law like?”

Samantha smiled. “She’s the one who’ll spend her life with you. As long as you like her, that’s what matters. If you love each other and the families are a good fit, that’s all I want.”

“So the families have to match?” Harold asked.

Samantha nodded. “It’s better that way. If there’s too much of a gap, things get complicated. Even if you get married, those differences can pull you apart over time. It’s easier if you’re both from the same world.”

“When you share similar values and habits, it’s easier for things to last,” she added.

She gave him a pointed look. “Don’t be like Ethan. Look at how things turned out with him and Isabella. They’re divorced now. They were never really in the same circle, and Isabella struggled to fit into his world. Honestly, divorce was probably the best thing for them.”

Harold frowned. “So you think Isabella isn’t good enough?”

Samantha shook her head. “No, that’s not what I mean. Isabella’s a good person. She’s doing great now, working with Barbara. She’s really coming into her own. But she and Ethan were just too different. Ethan has feelings for someone else anyway. If Isabella had married someone with a background like hers, I bet she’d be living a much happier life.”

Harold’s voice was gentle. “Isabella just needs to be with someone who truly loves her. She might not have a fancy family, but she’s strong, independent, and confident. She works so hard. With her drive, I know she’ll do amazing things in a few years.”

Samantha went quiet.

Samantha took that in. It was as good as admitting it.

She softened a little. “I know Isabella’s innocent. I have nothing against her. But you and Ethan are friends. If you go after her now, your friendship could be ruined. People will talk. They’ll say you’re picking up your friend’s ex-wife.”

Harold’s answer was steady. “I don’t care what people say. They can talk all they want. I can’t control that. My happiness matters more to me than their opinions.”

He hesitated, then went on. “Ethan never appreciated Isabella. He can’t blame anyone but himself. And it’s not like she’s some cast-off. She’s the one who left him. Ethan’s trying to win her back now.”

Samantha just stared at her son, stunned that he’d fallen for a woman about to get divorced. Her mind was spinning.