After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 631

Natalie chimed in beside Ethan, quick to deflect any real blame from Sophia.

“Look, Sophia’s still just a kid. She probably didn’t think about what could happen. She just wanted to mess with Isabella, that’s all. Ethan, even if it really was her, just give her a little scolding and make her apologize. I’m sure she’ll learn her lesson and won’t try anything like this again.”

If Ethan kept digging, he’d end up finding out the truth about her. Natalie definitely didn’t want that. All she could do was hope Sophia would keep quiet. Still, the way Jennifer had looked at her earlier made her nervous. Maybe Sophia had already told them everything.

At least Ethan was the one who drank the coffee. He’d always been soft on her, and even if he eventually found out she was the mastermind, he’d probably forgive her anyway.

Ethan, completely unaware of Natalie’s shifting mood, picked up his phone and called Isabella. When she answered, his voice was gentle.

“Isabella, I’m awake. Can you come see me?”

“Natalie’s there with you. She can take better care of you than I can, so I’m not coming over.” Isabella’s tone was cool and distant. “I’m having dinner. I’ll talk to you later. Get some rest.”

And with that, she hung up.

She was actually having dinner, sitting around the table with Jesse, Laura, Harold, and Barbara. Earlier that afternoon, Jesse had told Harold everything that had happened. Harold, who still had a fading bruise on his face, was shocked at first. He only relaxed when Jesse assured him Isabella was fine and it was Ethan who ended up in trouble.

Harold and Jesse had investigated together. Isabella told them she suspected Natalie had put Sophia up to it, so they focused on Natalie. They gathered all the evidence they found and brought it to Isabella.

“At least he’s okay.” Everyone at the table let out a breath of relief.

They’d all been worried about Ethan. Something like this happening at Isabella’s shop could have been a disaster. If Ethan had really gotten hurt, Isabella would have blamed herself, and Hearthside Coffee’s reputation would have taken a hit.

“Isabella, we’ve got solid evidence that Natalie was the one who told Sophia to go after you. She bought the drugs herself and gave them to Sophia,” Harold said, looking serious. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I’m handing everything over to the police. Whether the two of them end up with criminal charges is for the law to decide.”

Isabella had no intention of letting them off easy.