Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 73

Isadora glanced over and spotted Sammy’s mother, Mrs. Hayes, among the group.

She recognized all of them.

These were Faustina’s usual circle of friends—the wives of the city’s wealthiest families. When they weren’t out shopping, they played bridge together and gossiped over pastries and coffee.

Faustina always made a point of summoning Isadora to stand by, refilling their teacups and clearing away dishes. She relished this little show of authority—her way of reminding Isadora who was in charge, asserting her future mother-in-law status.

Officially, the message was: If you truly love my son, then you’d better get used to the rules and expectations of life as Mrs. Wainwright.

But in truth, Faustina’s pride ran bone-deep. She never missed a chance to remind Isadora that she’d only found her way back to the Vaughan family after twenty years, and, in her eyes, that made her unworthy of someone like Magnus—the golden boy of their world.

Out of respect for Magnus, Isadora had always tried to please Faustina, even when it was obvious she wasn’t welcome.

For Faustina’s sixtieth birthday, she’d demanded that Isadora prepare a feast—personally cook 101 dishes for the celebration. She claimed that a daughter-in-law cooking for her mother-in-law’s milestone birthday would bring longevity and good fortune.

What nonsense.

Whether or not Faustina would live to a hundred, Isadora couldn’t say. What she did know was that she’d spent an entire day and night in the kitchen, hands raw and trembling by the end of it. The next day, people whispered that she looked like she was coming down with Parkinson’s.

When Magnus heard, he only frowned and said, “Why didn’t you ask for help? That was foolish.”

Isadora kept quiet. She knew Faustina had insisted she do it all alone.

Now, as they browsed the boutique, Faustina let out a pointed huff. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mrs. Donovan. Isadora isn’t married to my son yet. She’s still on probation.”

Once, Isadora would have smiled and bowed her head, eager to win Faustina’s approval. But not anymore. She didn’t even want Magnus now, let alone Faustina’s blessing.

She met Faustina’s gaze, her voice calm but resolute. “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Wainwright. I’m not your daughter-in-law—and I never will be. In fact, Magnus and I have broken up. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I blocked all your numbers last week.”

Mrs. Donovan leaned in and whispered, “Faustina, I heard from Scales that Isadora’s been acting strange lately—jealous over that Elise girl. Maybe she’s just playing games to keep Magnus all to herself.”

Elise?

Faustina didn’t have much patience for Elise, either. She’d sent that manipulative woman packing five years ago, only to hear she’d collapsed with some heart condition over in Solstrand—claiming it was all due to Faustina’s cruelty, leaving her traumatized.

Magnus, softhearted as ever, was easily manipulated by these scheming women.

Just then, a sales associate approached, white-gloved hands cradling an elegant shoebox. She knelt, ready to help Faustina try on the custom-made shoes—two hundred thousand dollars and a month in the making.

Faustina waved her away with a dismissive flick, her tone dripping with haughty generosity.

“Isadora, come help me with my shoes. I’ll tell Magnus to stay away from Elise if you do. For someone who’s been with my son for years, you’re still failing to measure up. If you want to be part of this family, you need to learn to swallow your pride—because Magnus will never have just one woman.”