The Abandoned Wife's Second Chance (Scarlett and Jasper) novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134

(Scarlett’s POV)

+25 Points

The hospital waiting room smells like antiseptic and fear. I sit in an uncomfortable plastic chair, my engagement ring catching the harsh fluorescent lights every time I fidget with my.

hands.

Dorian sits beside me, his fingers laced through mine, but I can barely feel his touch.

All I can think about is the blood streaming down Jasper’s face as the paramedics loaded

him into the ambulance.

He saved my life.

He threw between me and a speeding car without hesitation.

And now he might die because of it.

“The doctor said head wounds always look worse than they are,” Dorian says quietly. “All that bleeding doesn’t necessarily mean—”

“I know.” My voice comes out hoarse. “I know, but I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.”

“But he was there. You’re safe.”

Safe. The word feels foreign in my mouth. How can I be safe when someone just tried to murder me in broad daylight? When they’re probably planning their next attempt right now?

The automatic doors whoosh open, and I look up to see Blair and James hurrying through the entrance. They look older than when I last saw them, more fragile. Blair’s hair is completely gray now, and James moves with the careful steps of someone whose body has started failing him.

They move past us without a word, heading straight toward the door of the operating theater, where a frantic, sobbing Virginia is still standing guard.

“He’s in surgery. Head trauma, possible internal bleeding. They won’t tell me anything!” Virginia wails, clutching James’s arm..

James, ever the patriarch, wraps an arm around her, his face a mask of concern. “He’s strong, Virginia. He’ll pull through. You know Jasper.”

“But it’s her fault!” Virginia cries, her eyes, puffy and red, fixating on me with a pure,

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+25 Points venomous hatred that makes me flinch. “Jasper’s in this condition because of her! If he dies, Scarlett, I will never forgive you! Do you hear me? Never!”

The accusation is a physical blow, even though I know it’s steeped in her own chaotic grief. and jealousy. I can’t meet her gaze. I look down at my lap, the ring on my finger suddenly feeling heavy, conspicuous, and sickeningly wrong.

She’s right. The treacherous thought coils in my mind. She’s right. I caused this. If I hadn’t answered that call, if I hadn’t let myself be lured out there…

“I didn’t know he would jump in,” I whisper. “I had no idea-”

“Don’t you dare!” Virginia spits, her voice hoarse. “Don’t you dare play innocent with me!”

“That’s enough.” Dorian stands up, moving to place himself between me and Virginia’s rage. “Scarlett is the victim here. Someone tried to kill her.”

“And Jasper got hurt saving her life,” Virginia snaps back. “So forgive me if I’m not feeling particularly sympathetic right now.”

“Virginia, please.” Blair’s voice is tired, defeated. “Fighting won’t help Jasper.”

But Virginia isn’t finished. She turns back to me, her eyes blazing with a hatred that takes my breath away.

“If anything happens to him–if he has brain damage, if he doesn’t wake up–I will never forgive you. Do you hear me? Never.”

The threat hangs in the air between us. I want to defend myself, to point out that I never asked Jasper to save me.

But the guilt is too heavy. The weight of knowing that a man might die because he tried to protect me…

I know,” I say quietly. “I know this is my fault.”

“Scarlett, no.” Dorian sits back down beside me, his hand finding mine again. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t ask to be attacked. You didn’t ask for Jasper to save you.”

But his words feel hollow. Because Virginia is right about one thing–Jasper is in this condition because of me.

“Who’s the patient’s family?”

We all turn toward the voice. A doctor in scrubs stands at the edge of the waiting area, his expression neutral but tired.

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Virginia jumps to her feet. “That’s me. How is he?”

+25 Points

The doctor glances around at all of us, probably wondering why there’s such a crowd if only she is his family.

“The patient has a moderate concussion and needed twelve stitches for the laceration on his forehead. But since this is a head injury, the injury could be more severe than what we got on the CT scan. There could be bleeding in the brain or skull fracture. Either way, the next 48 hours are very crucial. If the patient doesn’t wake up before then, he could go into a coma.”

Virginia staggers, and James has to catch her arm to keep her steady.

“Can I see him?” she asks.

“You can. But only family members for now, and just one person at a time.”

“I’m his…” Virginia hesitates, and I realize she doesn’t know how to finish that sentence. She’s not his wife. Not his girlfriend, really. Just a woman who’s been orbiting his life for years, without a title or status.

“I’m his emergency contact,” she says finally, and I wonder since when.

“Room 314. The nurse will show you the way.”

Virginia hurries off without a backward glance, leaving the rest of us in uncomfortable silence.

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