Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus)

The warehouse was dark and damp, the biting cold mixing with thick fog that seemed to seep into your bones.

A thin sheet of ice had formed across the concrete floor, sending a chill through the air that made the place feel even more desolate.

Isadora and Wendy huddled together in a corner.

Wendy was shivering uncontrollably; just a moment ago, she'd been yelling for help at the door, but now the cold had stolen her voice. She could barely make a sound.

Isadora curled into herself, arms tightly wrapped around her stomach, as if to protect something fragile inside.

Wendy glanced over at Isadora, saw her eyelids drooping, and panicked. "Isadora, please don't do this. Stay with me."

At the sound of her friend's voice, Isadora forced her eyes open, answering weakly, "I'm here..."

Wendy's words trembled on the verge of tears. "You said Victor would come for us. Why isn't he here yet?"

As she spoke, tears spilled down her cheeks, freezing almost instantly as they hit the icy floor.

Isadora wanted to reassure her, to tell her she wasn't falling asleep, but her throat felt blocked, choked by the cold and exhaustion. She couldn't manage a single word.

Her consciousness began to blur and drift.

Memories surfaced.

She thought of her childhood, of Carla's constant anger.

Back then, Isadora could never understand it; she'd tried everything to be good, to be obedient, but Carla always seemed to despise her. Why did she hate her so much?

Later, Isadora learned the truth-Carla wasn't her real mother.

Oddly, she'd felt relieved. The mother she dreamed of was never someone like Carla.

Suddenly, the memories shifted; she was back at the Vaughan estate.

Richard and Eleanor had resented her arrival, as if she'd disrupted their peaceful lives. Pearl's bitterness was always there, whispering, "Why did you come back and steal my place?"

It finally dawned on Isadora: she'd always been a burden, someone who didn't really belong in this world.

The family she'd longed for had never been as warm as she'd imagined...

She remembered Magnus, cold and aloof-until the day he knelt and begged her forgiveness.

They'd all hurt her.

They'd hurt her so much, she'd

seal her heart away, that if she hid deepnoveldrama

e could ever reach bet

But then Victor came into her life.

His gaze was gentle, unwavering. He looked at her as if she was the only person

in the world.

In his eyes, Isadora saw her own reflection. She heard his deep, steady voice: "Isadora, how can you be so clueless?"

She'd always insisted she wasn't clueless.

Victor would just laugh, "If you're not, then why can't you see I love you?"

She didn't believe it. After all, no one had ever truly loved her.

But Victor would take her hand and press it to his chest, letting her feel the strong, steady beat of his

heart-each thump echoing ele

in her

palm, reverberating through her.

"I love you," he'd say, the words so clear she couldn't ignore them.

He'd pull her into his arms, his embrace warm enough to keep all the world's cruelty at bay.

Isadora would hear his soft, teasing voice, full of affection. "Silly girl."

And she would laugh, tears streaming down her face, feeling lighter than she had

in years.

The memories flickered and blurred...

Isadora was so desperately cold—she just wanted to rest for a moment.

Suddenly, she saw Victor's face,

tense with anger and worry, as if he was right there, shouting, "Isadora! You're not allowed to close your eyes-not unless I say so!"

fore

He was always like that.

So stubborn, so infuriating—and yet, so very much her Victor.