After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 856

“Did she hit someone, or did someone hit her?”

Once they were in the car, Laura explained to her mom that Isabella had been rear-ended while waiting for the light to change.

Evelyn shook her head and sighed. “Getting rear-ended at a stoplight... Isabella’s luck really hasn’t been great lately. Maybe she should go to a temple or get a lucky charm or something.”

Laura kept her eyes on the road. “Mom, if praying and charms really fixed everything, nobody would get sick or have accidents anymore.”

“It was the other driver’s fault,” she added. “He was on his phone and didn’t brake in time.”

Evelyn looked thoughtful. “Still, it doesn’t hurt to believe in these things every now and then. You young people are always so skeptical.”

She glanced at her phone to check the date. “It’s the fifteenth in a couple of days. I’ll stop by the temple and get a good luck charm for Isabella. She should keep it with her, just in case.”

Laura didn’t argue. Her mom had always been a true believer. Laura already had a charm her mother had given her hanging in her car, another one she kept in her bag, and even one tucked under her pillow at home.

She didn’t really buy into it, but she wore them anyway. It was her mom’s way of showing she cared, and Laura respected that. Even back when she was just writing full-time, before going into business with Isabella, her mom had brought a fortune teller to her apartment. The fortune teller had rearranged her furniture and told her what to put on her desk to help her career.

They pulled up to the accident scene. The tow truck had just arrived and was getting Isabella’s car onto the flatbed. Isabella was waiting on the sidewalk, looking a little tired but otherwise okay.

Laura found a spot to park, and she and her mom walked over.

“Isabella!”

She was so insistent that Laura and Evelyn finally let it go.

Once they were all in the car, Laura turned to Isabella. “Where were you headed? Meeting a client? I can drop you off if you want.”

Isabella sighed. “No, I just wanted to get away from York. I made up an excuse to leave. I thought I’d stop by the film set since they’re shooting on location in the suburbs. And then, of course, I get rear-ended at a red light.”

She leaned her head back, sounding exhausted. “It’s like today is cursed. Elton showed up out of nowhere to bother me, then I ran into Natalie. I went to the café for a break and ran into York — and I still don’t know what to make of that guy. I left because I didn’t want to deal with him, and then this happens.”

Evelyn looked at her, trying to sound casual but deeply concerned. “Isabella, don’t think I’m being pushy or superstitious, but Laura’s told me a bit about how things have been for you lately. Maybe you should come to the temple with me and get a good luck charm. The one I visit is always busy and people say it works wonders. It’s kind of famous around Cabinda.”