The Abandoned Wife's Second Chance (Scarlett and Jasper) novel Chapter 12

(Scarlett’s POV)

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The plane touches down with a gentle bump, and I feel Lily’s small hand slip into mine.

“Are we really home, Mama?” she asks, her dark eyes wide as she peers out the tiny window.

Home. The word feels strange on my tongue. This city stopped being home the night Jasper left me on that highway. But maybe it can be again. Maybe I can make it mine this time.

“We’re here, habibti,” I tell her, using the Arabic endearment that feels natural now.

Lily nods, pressing her face against the window. At four years old, she’s already learned not to ask too many questions about the past. She knows we lived far away before this, in a small town where I learned to bake bread that could make people cry with happiness. She knows her father isn’t in our life, but she’s never asked why.

Smart girl. She gets that from me.

The baggage claim is crowded with families reuniting, business travelers checking their phones, tourists consulting their maps. I scan the crowd until I spot her–Chloe, holding a sign that says “Welcome Home, Warrior” in Arabic and English.

My throat tightens. She’s the only person who never gave up on me.

“Scarlett!” She drops the sign and runs toward us, her hijab flying behind her. “Oh my God, look at you!”

She pulls me into a hug that smells like her signature vanilla perfume and warmth. For a moment, I’m twenty–three again, crying on her shoulder about another canceled date, another broken promise.

But I’m not that girl anymore.

“And this must be Lily,” Chloe says, crouching down to my daughter’s level. “I’m your Aunt Chloe. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Lily hides behind my legs, suddenly shy. She’s not used to strangers, but she’s curious.

“She’s beautiful, Scarlett. She looks just like you.”

“She has his eyes,” I say quietly, and Chloe’s face softens with understanding.

The drive to Chloe’s apartment takes us through parts of the city I used to know by heart. The coffee shop where Jasper and I had our first date. The bookstore where I used to buy

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romance novels, dreaming of a love that would consume me. The park where he proposed, going down on one knee because it was expected, not because he wanted to.

Everything looks smaller than I remember. Less important.

“You’re different,” Chloe says, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “Stronger.”

I just smile.

“What happened after you left? You stopped calling, stopped answering my texts for two years.”

I watch the city blur past the window, my smile growing brighter. “I had to cut all ties. I needed space and time to heal. It was the only way to start over. And now… now I’m ready now to face him, and my adopted family.” I touch Lily’s hair as she sleeps against my

shoulder.

Chloe’s apartment is exactly the same–organized chaos and comfort mixed together. Books everywhere, plants taking over the windowsills, the smell of cardamom and coffee always in the air. It feels like stepping back in time, but I’m not the same person who used to cry here.

“I cleared out the spare room for you and Lily,” she says, hauling our suitcases inside. “You can stay as long as you need.”

“Thank you, but we won’t be here long.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Planning to find your own place already?”

I settle Lily on the couch with her favorite stuffed elephant and turn to face my best friend. The woman who never once told me I was being dramatic or asking for too much.

“I already found one.”

“Found one? Scarlett, you just got here an hour ago.”

“I’ve been planning this for months.” I pull out my phone and show her the photos I’ve saved. “There’s a shop space for rent in Riverside District. Perfect location, good foot traffic, reasonable rent.”

Chloe scrolls through the pictures, her eyes widening. “This is nice. What kind of business?”

“A bakery.”

She looks up at me with hope and uncertainty in her eyes. “You’ve finally decided? Not going to run anymore?”

“No, not anymore. Since I can bake, why can’t I use my skill to survive?” I swipe to my

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portfolio photos. “I spent two years in culinary school in Denver. Another year working at the best bakery in Colorado. I can do this, Chloe. I am confident I can do a good job.”

She stares at the screen, scrolling through pictures of my signature honey wheat loaves, the cinnamon rolls that made customers wait in line for hours, the wedding cakes that looked

like art pieces.

“I know you can. I always did, but you never believed me when I said so,” she breathes. “You made all of these?”

“Every single one.” Pride fills my chest, warm and solid. “As they say, confidence grows with accomplishments. I’m not the same woman who left here four years ago. The awards I won and the critics of renowned chefs over the years boasted my confidence. I don’t need anyone to take care of me anymore. I don’t need anyone’s money or permission or approval.”

“But opening a business… that’s huge. The permits, the equipment, the-

“Already handled. I’ve been working with a realtor remotely for three months. The lease is signed, equipment ordered, permits filed. I start renovations next week.’

Chloe sets down my phone and stares at me. “Who are you?”

I laugh, and it feels good. Light. “Someone who no longer waits around for other people to

dictate her life.”

Lily stirs on the couch, rubbing her eyes as she wakes up from her nap. She sits up slowly, looking around the unfamiliar apartment with the careful attention she always gives new places.

“Mama? Are we at Aunt Chloe’s house?”

“Yes, habibti. Come meet her properly.”

My daughter slides off the couch and walks over to us with the serious expression she wears when meeting new people. She’s cautious but not scared. I made sure she’d never be scared of the world the way I was.

Chloe kneels down, offering her hand like she would to an adult. “It’s very nice to meet you, Lily. Your mama has told me wonderful things about you.”

“She tells me about you too,” Lily says softly, taking Chloe’s hand. “She says you’re the sister of her heart.”

Chloe’s eyes fill with tears. “That’s right, little one. And that makes you my niece.”

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