After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 1100

Harold led Isabella along the winding stone paths of the gardens. As they strolled, a tiny, pure white puppy suddenly came bounding across the grass toward them.

Isabella instinctively stopped to watch it. The puppy skidded to a halt at Harold's feet, immediately pawing at his pant leg and whining to be picked up.

Chuckling, Harold bent down and scooped the little furball into his arms. "This is Whitey," he told Isabella. "He's from the litter my aunt Martha's dog just had. Cute, right?"

"He's adorable." Isabella reached out to pet him, but the puppy playfully batted a paw at her hand. Startled, she quickly pulled back.

Harold lightly tapped the puppy's head. "Hey now, Whitey. This is my girlfriend. No bullying." He stroked the dog's ears a few times to calm him down, then gestured for Isabella to try again. "He understands. Go ahead, he won't swat at you this time."

She reached out tentatively, and sure enough, the little guy was perfectly docile, leaning into her touch as she scratched behind his ears.

Just then, two more dogs came sprinting over—one large and one small. They immediately crowded around Harold's ankles, affectionately nudging his legs.

"And here's his mother and brother," Harold said, setting Whitey down to greet the mother dog. "They're all pure white. Martha named the mom Cotton, and Whitey's brother is Cloud. Just a bunch of little snowballs."

"They're gorgeous," Isabella smiled. She didn't know much about dog breeds, having rarely kept pets, but it was obvious Martha Carter's dogs were top-tier.

Harold took her hand again, lacing their fingers together as they resumed their walk. "It's good for my aunt. Having the dogs gives her something to do so she doesn't get bored. And honestly, she just plays with them—the staff handles all the actual messy work."

"Ethan left behind a few massive guard dogs," Isabella recalled. "He left me the house and everything in it, including them. My mom and my uncle have their hands full taking care of them."

The guard dogs were fierce and couldn't just be let out to roam. They were kept on heavy leads during the day and only let loose in the enclosed courtyard at night to patrol. It had taken Cynthia and Zachary quite a while to earn their trust after moving in.

"My aunt Amelia can't sit still to save her life," Isabella continued. "She's so used to working. She took one look at the empty patches in the front and back yards and turned them all into a massive vegetable garden. Between the dogs and the garden, the three of them have plenty to keep them busy. And since she loves cooking, they make so much food they can't even finish it all. They're always bringing leftovers to Ethan's old security team, and they take plates over to Susan next door."