After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 1077

Stephanie sighed, gently advising him. "Ethan, you refused to listen to me before. You took Isabella for granted, and that's exactly why you're in this mess today. Regret won't change the past, but I'm going to try talking some sense into you one last time."

"Let go of your obsession with her. You probably haven't even figured out if you truly love her. What you think is love might just be overwhelming guilt, or simply habit."

"You were married for months. You grew accustomed to having her around."

"That isn't love. And guilt certainly isn't love either."

"Even if we ignore all that, Isabella is done with you. She isn't going to look back, and she isn't going to fall for you again. If you keep clinging to a dead hope, you're the only one who will suffer."

"I don't want to watch you drown in misery. Let go of Isabella, and let go of whatever you felt for Natalie. Once you're fully healed, I'll set you up with some wonderful women. You can start fresh."

Ethan wanted to argue that his feelings for Isabella were real.

But the words died in his throat, pulling him into a heavy silence.

When it came to Isabella, was he driven by love, or just a suffocating wave of guilt?

Looking back at their marriage, he couldn't deny that he felt something for her during those quiet moments they shared.

The feelings were real.

But the guilt was real, too—and perhaps a lot heavier.

Ever since that bizarre, vivid dream, the memories felt entirely real to him.

He had ruthlessly broken Isabella in that other life.

And in the end, it had killed her.

That was the root of his despair. He truly believed he was the reason she died.

"Grandma, I know for a fact that I care about Isabella."

"The guilt is there, yes, and I know I don't have much of a chance anymore. She's chosen Harold, and I know he'll give her the world."

"But I just..."

After a long, stretching silence, Ethan finally spoke again. "Even if I were to move on, I'd have to wait until Isabella and Harold are married. I need to see her happy. I need to know she's safe."

"Only then can I find peace. Only then can I start over."

"As long as she remains unmarried, I can't let it go."

He knew his chances were essentially zero, but until he saw her walk down the aisle, he couldn't completely kill that tiny spark of hope.

So she had accepted Harold as her boyfriend. So what?

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