After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 1055

"We will take her home and properly discipline her. I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again."

Fitzgerald also spoke to Isabella in an incredibly gentle, accommodating tone. "Isabella, I am truly sorry. I failed to discipline my daughter properly, and your business suffered for it. We will fully compensate you for all the damages.I just hope you can forgive Natalie this one time. Please don't hold this against her."

Natalie reached out, trying to snatch the stack of cash back, her face twisted in anger. "Mom! I wasn't the one who smashed the place, why should we pay? Don't give her a dime! Those people broke everything, they should be the ones paying!"

Adelina swatted Natalie's hand away with a sharp slap.

She forcefully pressed the stack of bills into Isabella's hands.

"Isabella, I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. This is our fault for spoiling Natalie so much over the years that she thinks she can do whatever she wants and cause you so much pain.We'll pay. We'll pay for everything, and we will keep her in line. Let's just put an end to this right here."

Adelina grabbed Natalie by the arm and practically dragged her toward the door.

Fitzgerald turned to the police. "We accept a settlement. We'll cover all the financial losses in the cafe."

The officers had originally suggested mediation anyway.

Now that Mr. and Mrs. Gates had shown up to clean up Natalie's mess, it saved the police a massive headache.

Still, they had to look to Isabella to see where she stood.

What could Isabella really do?

She accepted the compensation money. Even if she pushed the issue, Natalie was pregnant and wouldn't face any real jail time.

At most, Natalie would have been forced to pay a fine and maybe spend a few days in detention, which would just be suspended anyway.

In her past life, no matter what terrible things Natalie did, her parents, her family, and Ethan were always there to clean up her messes.

Isabella often wondered—Natalie had been spoiled by so many people for so long. If she ever committed an unforgivable, catastrophic crime, who would be able to save her then? The very pampering that sheltered her might just be what gets her killed in the end.

Decades of being treated like a princess had made her oblivious to how the real world worked. She genuinely believed that no matter what lines she crossed, someone would always be there to shield her.

She lived without fear, doing whatever she pleased to vent her frustrations.

In her previous life, Isabella guessed that Natalie's ultimate fate had probably been an arrest, followed by a heavy prison sentence, or perhaps even the death penalty.

Ever since Ethan's car accident triggered his vivid dream of their past life, and after hearing what he told her when he woke up, Isabella was almost certain that Natalie was the one who had murdered her in that previous timeline.

She just wondered if Natalie's ultimate arrest in that life was uncovered by the police, or if Ethan had been the one to finally track down the truth.