After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 1216

"Isabella, is this because of Natalie?"

Ethan knew Natalie had been acting increasingly unhinged.

She had spent half the day harassing him.

Eventually, she had left... It seemed she had received some kind of message that prompted her departure.

Could she have gone to pick up the kidnappers right after getting that text?

Was she harassing him just to keep him occupied, ensuring he couldn't help the Carter family?

Would they find any clues on her phone?

"Yes."

Isabella admitted it frankly.

"Even though the Natalie in this reality hasn't committed the atrocities from the dreams, she still targets me. She can't stand to see me happy. She's like a massive wall standing between you and me."

"Ethan, I'm tired. Loving you was exhausting. I refuse to live like that anymore, so I don't want to love you. Stop looking at me like that. You need to move on, find someone else—a good woman, someone whose social standing matches yours."

"Start a new romance. Build a new life. We are in the past. Even if things don't work out between Harold and me, I have no intention of ever looking back."

If York's schemes actually forced her and Harold to break up, she would just live her life on her own, free and unburdened.

Ethan looked at her with piercing intensity. "Isabella, I can protect you. I won't let Natalie hurt you. We could even move away, far out of her reach."

"I grew up in Cabinda. My career and my friends are here. Why should I uproot my entire life just to avoid one woman?"

"You might be capable of protecting me, but you're also deeply sentimental. You and Natalie were childhood friends. Your bond with her runs deep, and you're incapable of being truly ruthless when it counts. If I went to war with her, you'd hesitate. You'd be torn between helping her and helping me."

"Every second you spend hesitating is a knife in my back, while for her, it's a beacon of hope. In the end, you just end up hurting us both."

"Ethan, when it comes to matters of the heart, you simply aren't decisive enough."

"Our marriage was a complete failure. I hope you learn from it. When you get married again, protect your wife. And it would be best if you found someone from your own world. Natalie wouldn't dare bully someone with equal wealth and status."

He had married Isabella but kept Natalie lingering in the back of his mind. Whenever they clashed, he had instinctively taken Natalie's side without a second thought.

Whether it was during those few months of marriage or in the haunting dreams, his actions had been the same.

They said a tree didn't wither in a day, and a heart didn't freeze over night.

Isabella's love for him had died a slow, agonizing death. It was only after being let down day after day, time after time, that her heart had finally turned to ice.

Even if he knew he was wrong, even if he spent the rest of his life making amends, she wouldn't look back. She would never return to his side.

"Isabella, I promise I'll drag whoever is behind this into the light. I won't let their twisted games succeed. I'll make sure you and Harold can be together without any obstacles."

Her unwavering rejection tore at his chest.

Yet he knew he had brought this entirely upon himself. He couldn't blame her.

The only way he could make things right—aside from treating her well and trying to repair their bond—was to throw his full support behind her relationship with Harold. Only when she was truly happy would the crushing weight of his guilt begin to fade.