The Abandoned Wife's Second Chance (Scarlett and Jasper) novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

(Scarlett’s POV)

Virginia.

+25 Points?

Her eyes, red–rimmed and venomous, bore into mine. She doesn’t have to speak. Her body language screams: You are not welcome here. He is mine.

“The doctor said no one,” she hisses, her voice strained, barely above a whisper. “He is unstable. Your presence will only make things worse, Scarlett. Go home and stay with your boyfriend. I am his fiancée, I will remain here.”

“Virginia, please don’t do this. Not right now.” Blair steps forward, placing a comforting hand

on my arm.

“The doctor said no one should go near Jasper!”

“But Jasper has been asking for Scarlett. And I’m sure you didn’t forget the doctor telling us to get Scarlett, right?”

I look at Blair, my heart aching with the sudden knowledge that for the first time, she’s on my

side.

Virginia stares at Blair like she’s been slapped.

Before she can argue further, I shove her aside, and stride into the room, locking the door behind me.

The second I enter, Jasper tries to sit up straighter. His face is bruised, the bandage around his head making him look young and vulnerable, but his eyes are bright and focused on me like I’m the only thing in the world that matters.

“Letty.” His voice is hoarse but warm. “God, I was so worried. I kept asking everyone where my wife was, and no one would tell me anything.”

The words hit me like arrows, each one finding its mark. He looks at me like he did on our wedding day. Like I’m precious and perfect and his

“I…” A lump forms in my throat. How am I supposed to respond?

“Did you get caught in the storm? Are you hurt?”

Storm? What storm?

I frown…then remember.

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< Chapter 144

The storm from five years ago.

+25 Points

Rain hits us sideways, cold and hard. Jasper pulls me closer, shielding my face with his hand like it’ll stop the storm.

“Stay behind me,” he shouts.

I nod, though I’m shaking too much to speak. My boots slide in the mud as we cross the narrow trail. The river below roars like it’s trying to break free.

A c***k splits the air.

“Jasper-!” I scream.

The tree above us groans, roots pulling from the soaked earth. He doesn’t think. He just moves, pushes me out of the way, and takes the hit.

The storm from that day is similar to the car accident last night in the way he risked his life to save me from danger both times.

I stare at his leg, too shaken to speak. He’d almost lost that leg that time. A huge trunk ripped out by the storm had fallen on him. Yet despite his severe injuries, the one he was most concerned about was me.

“Letty? Letty?”

“Huh?”

He frowns slightly, his eyes shining with soft concern. “Did you get hurt anywhere?” He pulls at his IV, and I’m forced to rush to his side, stopping him before he can rip the lines off.

“Jasper, I’m fine. I’m not hurt at all!” I say in a hurry.

He stops and gives me a disbelieving stare. I’m forced to step back and spin in a circle.

“Really! Look! Do you see even a scratch on me?”

I spread my arms wide, turning in a slow circle so he can see every inch of me. Jasper scans me from top to bottom. His gaze is thorough, almost clinical, but there’s something desperate in the way he looks at me. Like he’s trying to convince himself I’m real.

Only when he’s looked me over twice does his chest rise – deep, shaky – and the tension in his face breaks. Just a little. He leans back against the pillows, eyes still on mine. Then his hand lifts, palm up, waiting.

I don’t move.

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< Chapter 144

I remember this gesture.

$25 Points

It makes me furious and sad at the same time. The urge to slap him for even expecting me to respond after all these years makes tears prickle my eyes.

He doesn’t remember.

Scarlett, he doesn’t remember.

I close my eyes, taking in deep breaths to calm myself.

“Letty?”

It must be the familiar nickname. Or the tenderness in his voice.

I find myself slipping my hand in his, the gesture so smooth and natural.

He gives the smallest tug, and I go. My body leans in before my mind catches up, and then I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, his arm curling around me until my back is pressed to his

chest.

My body stiffens.

He buries his face into my neck, breathing in my scent. His hands wrap around my waist in the familiar possessive grip, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he doesn’t hold tight enough.

“I thought I almost lost you,” he murmurs, rubbing his nose on my nape. “When that trunk fell

”

“Were you scared?”

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