A lot had happened over the past two months, and Ethan was finally starting to see that Natalie wasn't as perfect as he’d always imagined. Or maybe she’d always been like this, and deep down, he’d known it all along. But after growing up together, twenty years of memories made him overlook her flaws and avoid facing the truth.
Isabella took a detour into the supermarket parking lot. If they were going to eat at her place, she figured she’d better pick up some groceries. She almost never stayed there, so the kitchen was basically empty.
When Ethan first bought her that townhouse, it was brand new, freshly renovated, and completely bare. Not a single piece of furniture. After they got married, she’d moved in with him, only bothering to add a few basic things to the other house when she had time.
They wandered through the supermarket together. Isabella was picky, taking her time with every choice and only grabbing small amounts of each thing.
Ethan trailed behind, watching her scrutinize every item. He lowered his voice and said, “Just get whatever you want. I’ll pay.”
She glanced at him, her eyes sending a clear message. If you’d said that earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered being so careful.
With Ethan footing the bill, Isabella didn’t hold back anymore. She started picking out the pricier stuff, adding all sorts of household things to the cart.
By the time they left, Ethan’s arms were loaded with bags. He even had a big sack of rice balanced on his shoulder. Isabella, meanwhile, was happily eating an ice cream cone, not carrying a single thing except that.
Ethan was doing all the paying and all the heavy lifting. But of course, he couldn’t exactly hand everything off to a “delicate” woman like her. He snorted to himself at the thought. Delicate? If she was delicate, then there were no strong people left in the world.
Once they’d managed to cram everything into the car, Isabella turned to him. “You know, the house you gave me was empty when I got it. I’ve only picked up a few things here and there, so right now I’ve got two chairs and a tiny table.”
She looked at the sky, still light out. “Since we have some time, want to come with me to look at furniture? We can get what we need and have the store deliver it. Otherwise, you won’t even have a bed to sleep on.”


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