After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 772

With a little prodding from Ethan and Natalie, Jordan scowled but finally made his way back to the sofa and sat down, clearly still annoyed.

Jackson tried to smooth things over. He gave Ethan and Isabella an apologetic smile. “Sorry about all that. You two must be starving. Let’s go eat.”

He got up first, taking Kevin by the arm and leading him toward the dining room.

Deborah followed suit, waving Ethan and Isabella along. “Come on, dinner’s ready. Sorry for making you wait so long.” She threw Isabella a playful wink.

Isabella flashed her a quick thumbs-up behind everyone’s backs.

Deborah grinned, clearly pleased with herself.

Jordan only made it to the dining room because his wife dragged him along. Ethan hung back, waiting for Isabella, but she kept her distance. When they reached the table, Isabella chose a seat right between Deborah and Kevin, making sure there was no chance she’d be stuck next to Ethan.

It looked casual, but it was obvious she was putting space between them. She didn’t want to give Ethan the opportunity to act all thoughtful or attentive.

Deborah watched the two of them a little longer than necessary. With her experience, she could tell Ethan was starting to catch feelings for Isabella. Too bad it was too late—they were already divorced.

As for Isabella, she clearly wanted nothing to do with Ethan’s guilt or his attempts to win her back. She wasn’t even tempted. There wasn’t a hint of softness or regret in her.

Deborah thought of Cynthia and Jackson after their split. Cynthia cut off all contact. Jackson tried texting her once, hoping to invite her to dinner, but realized she’d already deleted him from her social media. That stung a little.

He couldn’t help but complain about how they’d been married for twenty years, and how generous he was with the settlement. He really thought their breakup was friendly, and even told Cynthia she could come to him for help anytime. But she just erased him from her life without hesitation.

When Ethan didn’t move, Deborah stepped in, trying to be polite. “Ethan, Mandy wants to sit closer to Jordan. Could you let her have your spot?”

Natalie’s expression darkened so much it was almost comical.

Ethan looked completely uncomfortable. Jordan reached out and put a hand on his arm, keeping him from getting up.

Jackson finally spoke up. “Mandy, every seat’s the same.”

Deborah shot Mandy a look from across the table.

With a dramatic sigh, Mandy plopped into an empty chair, clearly not thrilled about it.