After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 654

"Ethan, I never wanted us to be enemies. But for Isabella, I guess we have no choice except to be rivals."

Harold looked right at him. "From now on, don’t hurt Isabella again. I won’t let you, Ethan."

Ethan forced a half-smile. "Hurt her? That’s the last thing I’d ever do. All I want now is to take care of her. But she doesn’t want me in her life anymore."

He thought about this morning, how he’d waited outside her house at sunrise, breakfast in hand, hoping she’d at least talk to him. She wouldn’t even open the door. She’d rather skip breakfast than accept anything from him.

Ethan set his coffee cup down and stood. "Thanks for seeing me, Harold."

Harold walked him to the door.

At the elevator, before the doors slid open, Ethan turned back. "I don’t want us to be enemies either, but I guess that’s where we are now. Our friendship ends here, Harold."

He couldn’t see Harold as a friend anymore, and Harold felt the same. They were rivals now, and when two people love the same woman, all the old friendship just disappears.

***

The girl at the front desk was Mandy, the one Jordan and Natalie had brought here. She was Deborah’s youngest cousin, just barely out of college, and still hadn’t found a job. She always envied Deborah—never having to work, always spending money.

When Jordan got Mandy to move to Cabinda, they didn’t let her go straight to Deborah. Instead, they told her to job-hunt, just to use up all her money. Only when she was desperate would they arrange for her to show up at Deborah’s door. That way, Deborah would believe Mandy had nowhere else to go.

After a moment, Mandy stopped shouting. She switched to a softer, more helpless tone. "Please, just let me see Mr. Lane. I really need to talk to him. Could you call him, please? Tell him I’m Mandy, Deborah’s sister, and it’s urgent."

She was supposed to find Deborah once her money ran out, but instead, she decided to go straight to Jackson.