His hands clamped down on Isabella's shoulders, firm and unyielding. His brow furrowed deeply. “Isabella, what are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice sharp and cutting. As he leaned in closer, the distinct, sharp scent of alcohol hit his nostrils. His expression darkened further into a scowl. “Have you been drinking?” he asked, his displeasure palpable.

The moment their bodies made contact, Isabella immediately recognized him by his signature cold, woody cologne—Ethan. The realization only intensified her urge to escape.

She was convinced, deep in her heart, that if Ethan hadn't been openly supporting Sophia, Sophia would never have dared to target her so brazenly.

At that moment, Isabella was overwhelmed by a deep sense of discomfort. Her senses were heightened to an almost unbearable degree. Though Ethan’s grip wasn't brutal, a dull, throbbing pain began to radiate through her shoulders.

“Let go of me! Release me!” she cried out, her voice shaking with raw desperation.

Her plea seemed to only irritate Ethan further. His grip tightened in response. He pulled her flush against his chest, his hold unbreakable as he spoke in a chilling, low tone. “You just can’t help but cause trouble, can you, Isabella? No longer holding anything back, are you?”

Ethan’s dominating presence enveloped Isabella completely. Her heart constricted painfully, as if caught in a vice, making it hard to breathe.

For a brief, fleeting second, Isabella stopped struggling. She allowed herself to feel the tight confinement of his embrace. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was unsteady and thick with unshed tears.

“What did I ever do to you?” she asked, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. “Since the love of your life returned, I didn’t put up a fight—I agreed to the divorce. I even moved out of our home to keep the peace. Yet, it seems you and she simply won’t leave me alone!”

In the midst of her emotional turmoil, Isabella unleashed a torrent of feelings she had long suppressed.

A twisted sense of satisfaction flickered within Ethan as he listened. Could her recent erratic behavior be a sign that her love for him was still too intense to extinguish?

Considering the years of deep devotion Isabella had shown him, Ethan found it wasn't so simple to just let go. Perhaps his methods had been too severe.

He let out a heavy, resigned sigh, signaling a reluctant concession. “Fine. We’ll pause the divorce proceedings for now. Take all the time you need to come to terms with it. But understand this—my patience isn't infinite.”

Isabella felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart upon hearing his words. Did he truly believe she needed time to adjust to the idea of their separation?

A bitter smile twisted her lips as tears streamed freely down her face.

“Ethan, your cruelty truly knows no limits,” she stated, her voice now cold and detached as she turned her head away, shutting her eyes to block him out. “I don’t need time to adjust. You can disappear from my life whenever you want—in fact, it would be better if you never came back!”

A dark shadow fell over Ethan’s expression, his aura turning icy and dangerous. He couldn't believe she had the audacity to speak to him that way.

He seized her chin, forcing her to look directly at him, his voice sharp and commanding. “Isabella, don’t you forget—you are still my wife!”

“Your wife?” Isabella’s lips curled into a bitter, mocking smile as she confronted him. “Tell me, Ethan, am I really your wife? Or am I just another possession you believe you can discard once you’re bored with it?”

“Ethan!” At that precise moment, a soft, melodious voice echoed down the hallway.

Ethan’s gaze snapped upward, catching sight of Sophia emerging from the other end of the corridor. She was clad in an elegant, flowing white gown, her figure ethereal and delicate, almost like a precious porcelain doll brought to life.

After Isabella had stormed off earlier, Sophia had followed discreetly, her steps light with the anticipation of witnessing Isabella's utter humiliation, ready to escalate the situation. However, the scene that unfolded before her was not the disaster she had envisioned. She was utterly shocked to see Isabella securely held in Ethan’s arms.