After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 1182

Ethan was arranging the flowers. "Flowers from your own garden bloom every year. They're meant to be admired."

"Clipping a few stems won't aggravate my injuries. As long as you like them." Ethan pulled Cynthia's arrangement from the vase and replaced it with the bouquet he had brought.

Cynthia watched him. She wanted to say something, but the words died on her lips. She had arranged the original flowers, not Harold. Ethan was in such a rush to replace them, clearly assuming Harold had brought them.

Cynthia enjoyed flower arranging in her spare time. Back when she was married to Jackson Lane, she had picked up the hobby. All the floral displays at the Lane Estate had been her handiwork. Even Natalie, who couldn't stand her, had once praised her arrangements.

"Isabella, Harold mentioned you two are heading to the beach for a couple of days?" Ethan turned back to Isabella after finishing with the vase. He didn't want her to go, simply because he couldn't go himself.

"Are you craving seafood? I can have some fresh catches delivered before noon. You don't have to go to the beach for that."

Isabella replied coolly, "I'm going to relax and decompress. It's not about the food. I can eat seafood anytime."

"What's so fun about the beach? The wind just smells like salt." Since he couldn't tag along, Ethan tried to downplay the trip, conveniently forgetting he used to vacation at the coast multiple times a year.

Having been married to him in two different lifetimes, Isabella knew exactly how he operated.

She called him out. "You're only saying that because you can't go. Don't you visit the beach several times a year? If it's so boring, why do you keep going back?"

Ethan offered a sheepish smile. "Since I can't go, it suddenly seems boring. Isabella, you rarely get time off. Wouldn't it be nicer to just sleep in for a couple of days? There's no need to travel so far. Going out can be more exhausting than working."

"I just want to get away and unwind. I'm not doing anything strenuous—just enjoying the ocean breeze, swimming, and eating well. How is that more exhausting than work?"

From now on, they could only be ordinary friends. And if Ethan kept pestering her, they wouldn't even be that.

Ethan let out a pitiful, defeated sigh.

Isabella ignored him, turning around to bring out breakfast. Ethan rushed to help, but after Isabella snapped at him, he obediently sat down at the dining table.

He looked like a scolded puppy, making Cynthia want to laugh, though she also sighed inwardly at the tangled mess of their relationship.

Harold and Richard returned. Seeing Ethan at the table, Richard scolded him. "Doesn't the great Mr. Adams have food at his own house? You come here every day to freeload. Have you paid for your board? Nothing in this world is free."