Inside the VIP hospital room,
Nanette held Isadora’s hand tightly.
“I know you’re heartbroken after losing Pudding. But you need to take care of yourself—and the baby. You just had a scare, and we were all worried sick about you.”
Isadora lowered her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. “If it weren’t for me, Pudding would still be alive. The poisoning… I can’t stop thinking about it. Every time I do, it just hurts so much.”
Nanette squeezed her hand even harder. “Listen to me, Isadora. This is Rowena’s fault, not yours!”
Nanette’s jaw was clenched with fury. “That woman will stop at nothing to get what she wants. If I ever see her again, I swear I’ll—” She cut herself off, fists trembling.
“Sometimes I wonder,” Isadora murmured, “if I hadn’t pulled my investment from Rowena’s firm, maybe none of this would’ve happened. Maybe Pudding would still be here.”
“No,” Nanette said firmly. “Someone like her, she’s eaten up by jealousy. Even if it wasn’t this, she’d have found another excuse to lash out. She’d always find a way to hurt someone.”
“So don’t punish yourself over someone who isn’t worth it,” Nanette insisted. “You have to look forward, Isadora.”
At that moment, the door opened from the hallway.
Victor stepped in, tall and composed, carrying two insulated metal containers.
Nanette caught sight of him and quickly stood up.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, and slipped out before Isadora could protest.
Victor approached, setting the containers on the small table beside the bed. One box was divided into four compartments, the other was a single, deep dish.
He opened them up.
A fragrant steam rose from the larger container—a pot of hot, nourishing fish soup. The four smaller sections held a variety of light, delicately prepared dishes.
He ladled some soup into a white porcelain bowl, then sat beside Isadora. With long, steady fingers, he lifted a spoonful, blew on it gently, and held it to her lips.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus)
It takes too long to get to the point. Too much unnecessary in between in all of these books. Too many extra characters, the authors lose the plot after a while....