After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 1019

Who could have guessed things would end up like this…

His two closest friends had grown more and more distant, probably because they were just so let down by him.

The three of them spotted Ethan at the cemetery, but none of them looked surprised. When they reached Isabella’s grave, they each placed their bouquets gently in front of the headstone. Laura took one look at Ethan’s flowers, picked them up, and shoved them as far to the side as possible.

Ethan couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Laura,” he said quietly.

Laura didn’t even look at him. “If Isabella was still here, she’d have thrown your flowers in the trash. The only reason you’re able to come here and act all sorry is because she’s gone. She can’t argue with you anymore, can’t push you away, can’t say no. You’re just taking advantage.”

The words hit Ethan hard. His face turned pale, almost gray.

“Move over. Don’t block me from talking to Isabella. And seriously, stop going on and on, you’re just annoying her. Mr. Adams, you should leave. The farther you are from here, the better.”

Ethan looked like he might say something in his defense, but his throat felt tight. Nothing came out. There weren’t any excuses left. Isabella was gone, and nothing he did could ever change that.

Maybe if he hadn’t insisted on digging up the truth, if he hadn’t found the real killer and made sure justice was done—if he hadn’t handled everything after, claimed her body, bought her a proper grave, laid her to rest—maybe then Laura wouldn’t let him near Isabella at all.

Every single time Laura saw him, she would let him have it, blaming him for everything that had happened to Isabella.

Jesse and Harold had bumped into Laura on their way here, so in the end, the three of them came together. Today was really about paying respects to their own lost loved ones, but when they remembered Isabella was buried here too, they decided to stop by. All three of them had gone to Isabella and Ethan’s wedding once, and even though they basically lost touch with her afterward, it just felt right to visit.

It had already been months since everything happened. The people behind Isabella’s death were caught, and the whole group that orchestrated her kidnapping was brought down. Isabella finally had justice. She could rest easy.

Laura took the tissues with a tired smile. “Thank you.”

Once she’d stopped crying, Laura made her way to another gravestone nearby. It belonged to Cynthia. Ethan had arranged for Isabella and her mom to be buried beside each other, so they wouldn’t have to be alone, even there.

Before long, Laura and the others decided it was time to go. As they left, Harold paused for a second, staring at the photo of Isabella on her grave. He let out a quiet sigh, the kind that never really leaves your chest.

She used to shine so brightly. Now, all that was left was a memory, and Ethan was the one who had destroyed all of it.

When it came to Isabella, Ethan had been the worst kind of jerk. Now he was full of regret, but what good did it do? He was too late for everything.

If only he had married Isabella, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe she wouldn’t have gone through so much pain. Maybe things would have turned out different.