After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 798

Isabella had no idea that York and Natalie were teaming up against her. Still, as the party carried on, she couldn’t shake this sudden, uneasy feeling in her chest.

“What’s wrong?” Harold was right beside her and picked up on her mood right away.

“Are you feeling okay?”

She shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know what it is. My heart just started racing out of nowhere.”

Harold glanced around, checking for anything unusual, but everything seemed normal. He leaned in, reassuring. “Don’t worry. If you want, I can take you home now. We don’t have to stay.”

Isabella honestly didn’t want to stick around either. “Let’s just tell Lucas and the others we’re heading out.”

She hesitated, trying to put her feeling into words. “It’s like… being here is making it hard to breathe, like something’s pressing on my chest and I can’t get enough air. I just feel… off.”

“If it doesn’t feel right, let’s go,” Harold said quietly. “Sometimes your gut just knows.”

“Yeah. Let’s go tell Lucas.”

She didn’t argue. They found Lucas and quickly explained that something had come up and they had to leave. Lucas just nodded, not pushing them to stay.

Isabella then found Laura and Linda. She told them she wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest at home. Both friends fussed over her, but Isabella couldn’t really describe what was wrong. Seeing how pale she looked, they told her to see a doctor if it didn’t get better.

The moment they stepped outside, the cool night air made it a little easier to breathe. The tension inside her chest loosened just a bit.

“Isabella.”

She heard her name and turned to see Ethan coming up behind her.

But Ethan reached out and caught her by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

“If you’re going home, let me drive you. We live in the same direction.”

He paused, his voice softer. “And don’t call me Mr. Adams. We’ve known each other for twenty years. Just because we’re divorced doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Don’t treat me like a stranger.”

Isabella tried twice to pull her hand free, but his grip was too tight. Her expression turned serious, her voice steely. “Ethan, let go. There’s nothing between us anymore. You don’t need to do this. We’re over. I’m not coming back.”

Harold stepped in, placing his hand over Ethan’s, gripping his wrist firmly. “Ethan, let her go. You’re stronger than you realize, and you’ll hurt her. Haven’t you done enough? Don’t make it worse.”

Ethan’s eyes flashed with anger as he glared at Harold. “This is between me and Isabella. It has nothing to do with you. Back off.”

Harold didn’t budge. “Right now, Isabella is my date. If you hurt her, it’s my business too.”