Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus)

Fitzgerald Hospital-Outside the Operating Room

The corridor was cold and silent, its air heavy with tension.

Mrs. Deanna Fitzgerald paced anxiously, her steps uneven as the family butler hovered nearby, ready to steady her if she faltered.

Victor strode in, his presence immediately commanding attention.

The moment Deanna saw her grandson, she clung to his hand, her voice

trembling with tears. "Oh, Victor, thank God you're here..."

"What happened this time?" Victor asked, his tone clipped and urgent.

The butler only shook his head, unable to find any words.

Victor's brow furrowed with worry.

Just then, the double doors of the operating room swung open. The hospital director and the attending physician stepped out, their faces grave.

Deanna, desperate and afraid, was the first to speak. "Doctor, how is he? He's going to be alright, isn't he?"

The physician let out a weary sigh. "Mrs. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fitzgerald-please accept our condolences."

The words hit Deanna like a blow. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed. Rage flared in her eyes as she shouted, "Condolences? That's all you have to say? After everything our family has done for this hospital-after all the money we've given you doctors-this is the best you can do? I don't believe it. Victor, call in the best specialists from abroad, now!"

The hospital director interrupted gently, "Mr. Fitzgerald, you should go in and see him while you still can."

Tears streamed down Deanna's cheeks.

Victor's expression was grim. He nodded curtly, helping his grandmother as they entered the room together.

Inside, Dorian Fitzgerald, the formidable patriarch who had commanded the business world for decades, now lay on the hospital bed, waxen and frail, life slipping away.

Deanna rushed to his side, collapsing onto the bed. Her voice shook. "Dorian, please, don't leave me. Don't go."

With the last of his strength, Dorian lifted his hand toward Victor. "Life and death... are in God's hands. Victor... promise me one thing. The Fitzgerald Group must thrive. No matter what, it must endure."

Victor's eyes glistened red. He clasped his grandfather's hand tightly, jaw clenched. "I promise. I swear it."

Dorian turned his head slightly, his gaze softening. "And your grandmother... she's lived a life of comfort. If she ever makes a mistake... just forgive her, will you?"

As his words faded, Dorian's hand slipped from Victor's grasp.

"Granddad!" Victor cried.

Deanna let out a heart-wrenching wail and fainted on the spot.

ISA Grandeur Hotel

Isadora had waited all night at the hotel, but Victor never returned.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the river winding through Capitolion shimmered in the moonlight, casting a dreamlike glow across the ast sea of flowers below.

Roses, blue hyacinths, lisianthus, wild gardenias-so many varieties, all blooming together.

Curious, Isadora searched their meanings on her phone.

They all shared a single message: "A love like no other."

She wondered if it was just a coincidence.

But deep down, Isadora realized she was in trouble.

She could feel herself slipping, just a little, into something she wasn't sure she could resist.

Her resolve was wavering.

She worried that God might punish her for changing her mind again.

And yet... love seemed to whisper for her to be a little braver.

Plucking a vibrant red rose from the bouquet, Isadora absentmindedly tugged at

its petals, murmuring to herself.

The next morning, sunlight poured through the windows like golden silk.

Isadora was jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone.

Eyes still closed, she fumbled on the nightstand for her phone and answered.

It was Nanette.

"Isadora! Have you seen the news?"noveldrama

"What?"

"Today's the headline everywhere-The Fitzgerald Group just announced that Dorian Fitzgerald has passed away."

Sleep vanished in an instant. Isadora sat bolt upright, quickly opening her phone

Every

news outlet was reporting Dorian's death-even the Fitzgerald

= "'s death-even the Filt

to check.

official website had black and white in mourning.

Nanette's voice crackled in her ear. "Weren't you with Victor last night? How's he

holding up?"

"I heard from someone that Victor lost his parents when he was little Dorian and Mrs. Fitzgerald raised him themselves. This must be devastating for him."

Isadora lowered her eyes. "Nanette, I'll call you back later."