After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 61

Two hours later.

The ocean breeze felt different as Ethan pulled up to the villa community. He barely waited for the car to stop before grabbing Isabella’s hand and leading her straight to the Lane family’s place next door. He rang the bell with an energy that made Isabella smile.

A young butler opened the door, looking a little surprised to see them. As he let them in, he greeted Ethan with a grin. “Mr. Adams, what brings you out to the coast today?”

Ethan walked in with Isabella, answering easily, “Work’s been crazy, so I never got the chance to take my wife on a real honeymoon. I figured I’d make it up to her with a weekend road trip.”

He glanced at Isabella, squeezing her hand. “She wanted fresh seafood, so we came to the beach for a little getaway. I heard Jordan and Natalie were here too, so I thought we’d drop by to say hi.”

After explaining, Ethan nudged the butler. “This is Isabella, by the way. Aren’t you going to say hello?”

The butler looked at Isabella, clearly not recognizing her. The Lane family had bought this villa for Jordan’s vacations, not for Isabella. She was the stepsister Jordan never liked, so she’d never been welcome here. It made sense that the staff didn’t know her.

When Ethan and Isabella got married, the media covered everything, so technically everyone in the city knew she’d become Mrs. Adams. Still, almost no one recognized her in person. Isabella just didn’t fit people’s image of a rich wife. She took the bus, squeezed into crowded subways, ate cheap takeout, or cooked simple meals at home. Most people would probably just mistake her for someone who looked like Mrs. Adams, not the real thing.

The butler finally gave her a polite nod. “Mrs. Adams.”

He didn’t call her Ms. Lane. He wasn’t close to her, but he knew Jordan didn’t like her. The Lane family’s future belonged to Jordan, and the staff had always taken their cues from him. Isabella might have been Mrs. Adams now, but they would only treat her with surface-level respect.

Isabella smiled, not bothered at all by what people called her.

“Is Jordan home? And Natalie?” Ethan asked.

“Isabella?”

Both men looked surprised to see her.

A warm smile lit up Harold’s face. “What brings you to the beach?”

She grinned back. “Oh, so you two are allowed here and I’m not?”

She actually liked Ethan’s friends. In her last life, she was always at odds with Natalie Gates, always losing, always getting scolded and punished by Ethan. But Jesse and Harold had stood up for her, more than once.