After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 773

Dinner was doomed to be awkward from the start.

Honestly, the only people who seemed to enjoy themselves were Isabella and Deborah. Isabella was just there for the drama, watching everything unfold with zero emotional investment, so she ate with gusto. Deborah was basking in her win and couldn’t have been happier.

After the meal, Isabella stood up and said she needed to head back to review a script. As soon as she left, Ethan found a reason to slip away too.

Natalie watched him go and felt a wave of disappointment. Couldn’t he see she and her husband were getting the short end of the stick? Was it that hard for him to stay and back them up? Clearly, all he cared about was Isabella, that terrible woman.

Ethan told his driver to follow Isabella. She didn’t go home. Instead, she headed straight for her coffee shop, and Ethan followed.

Isabella knew he was on her tail but didn’t bother acknowledging him. She walked inside and went directly to the kitchen to help the pastry chef.

Ethan walked into the shop and glanced around, but Isabella was nowhere in sight. Maybe she was in the bookstore next door. He slipped through the connecting door to check, but after a thorough search, there was still no sign of her.

Had she left through the bookstore while he was coming in? Ethan quickly texted the bodyguard he’d assigned to keep an eye on her, asking if Isabella had gone out.

The reply came right away. Isabella hadn’t left since she arrived.

So where was she? The bathroom? Or maybe…

It clicked. Ethan turned on his heel and went back to the coffee shop. This time, he didn’t rush around. Instead, he picked a table near the register and sat down. When the server came over, he ordered, “A coffee, please.”

“Of course. Would you like anything else?”

Ethan realized he was still hungry. “I’ll have some pastries too. Ask Isabella to bring them out.”

A few minutes later, Ethan’s pastries arrived.

“Where’s Isabella?” he asked.

The server smiled politely. “Mr. Adams, Isabella is busy helping with the pastries right now and can’t come out. She asked us to take good care of you. If you need anything else, just let us know.”

Ethan let out a sigh, sounding a little frustrated and a little worried. “You already have a pastry chef. Why does she have to do everything herself? She just can’t sit still. Isn’t she tired?”

He thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, I’ll hire another pastry chef to help. You don’t have to pay them. I’ll cover everything. They’re just here to lend a hand.”

The server smiled but didn’t say what she was thinking. Isabella wasn’t in the kitchen because they needed help. She just didn’t want to see Mr. Adams. There were plenty of pastries already. One chef was more than enough for all the customers they had.