After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 99

Laura Charles hadn’t changed her mind, not even a little.

As soon as they got downstairs, Jesse let out a long sigh. “I finally got a chance to talk to her, and it went absolutely nowhere.”

Harold clapped him on the back. “She’s Isabella Lane’s best friend. There’ll be plenty of other chances.”

Jesse just shook his head. “I still can’t believe the girl I’m into is Isabella’s friend. Jesse, you need to be careful here. There’s a huge gap between your worlds.” Harold’s voice was gentle, but his words stung a little. “You’re the Mason Group’s heir. She’s an online author. Your family might never accept her.”

“Are you really willing to go through what Ethan did and marry someone your family doesn’t approve of?”

Harold pressed on, “Marriages without your family’s blessing usually don’t last. Just wait. Ethan and Isabella are heading for divorce, you’ll see.”

He wasn’t proud of hoping for his friend’s marriage to end. But Ethan had never truly loved Isabella. He was just using her, playing games with her heart. That was never going to work. Isabella deserved so much better.

Jesse shook his head. “I’ve already checked into Ms. Charles’s background. Her family’s middle class, definitely not struggling. Sure, she’s not from a powerful family, but if I keep at it, I think my parents will come around.”

He hesitated, then added, “Guys like us, the women who marry in get comfort and luxury, but they end up lonely. We work all the time, barely able to squeeze out a weekend. Even a short break comes after weeks of overtime.”

“But Ms. Charles is a writer. She’s used to being at home, working on her own. I think she’d be okay with that. She wouldn’t get mad if I couldn’t always be there.”

“I really think she’s right for me. And I’m serious about her.” If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble just to add her on social media, just to talk to her every day. Jesse Mason was always busy, but when it came to chasing after Laura Charles, he somehow found all the time in the world.

Isabella didn’t argue. She knew exactly what Laura meant. When two people came from such different worlds, it was almost impossible to make things work. Her own marriage to Ethan had nearly destroyed her.

She wondered, not for the first time, if Ethan ever remarried after she died. Probably not. The only woman he’d ever loved was Natalie Gates. He’d married Isabella for her connection to Natalie, nothing more.

“Come on,” Isabella said, grabbing Laura’s hand. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

With that, the two girls left all the talk about men behind, ready to spend the rest of the day shopping, laughing, and eating their favorite treats.