After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 1016

Natalie got taken away by the police.

Before they led her out, she turned to Jordan. Her voice was shaky when she asked, “Why did you betray me, Jordan?”

Jordan met her eyes. “Natalie, I was scared. I didn’t want to go down with you. Sooner or later, Ethan and the police were going to find out what you did. If I stayed quiet, I’d be covering for you. Then I’d be guilty too.”

“We can’t both lose everything. You did what you did, so you have to face the consequences.”

He paused, then softened a bit. “I’ll get you the best lawyer, I promise.”

Natalie let out a laugh, but tears shone in her eyes.

The best lawyer? She knew what she’d done. No lawyer could magic her way out of this. Was it even possible to get her off the hook now?

She glanced over at Ethan. He was watching her, his face tight with disappointment, maybe even heartbreak. She could see it in his eyes. She had let him down. He probably regretted ever loving her in the first place.

Natalie had her own regrets, too.

The guilt over Isabella hit almost instantly. But once she’d started, she couldn’t stop. She’d gotten rid of the kidnappers too, telling herself that only the dead kept secrets. That was the only way to keep herself safe.

Even after she married Jordan, Ethan was still good to her. But over time, he stopped coming around to the Lane house and she saw him less.

Then Ethan started dating Isabella. After just three months, he proposed, and Isabella said yes. He didn’t care what anyone thought. He insisted on marrying her, splurged on an enormous wedding gift, and gave her a wedding everyone talked about for weeks. Natalie couldn’t help but feel jealous, angry, and hurt by it all.

Still, even after marrying Isabella, Ethan was kind to her.

But Isabella changed. Maybe it was her new identity as Mrs. Adams, but she stopped acting meek. She started pushing back, standing up to Natalie, sometimes even challenging her directly.

Eventually, Natalie figured out why. Ethan hadn’t married Isabella out of love. He needed her. As the stepdaughter of the Lane family, Isabella gave Ethan a way in, a connection he needed. Her mother still lived in the Lane house, so through Isabella, Ethan got the family ties he wanted.