The Abandoned Wife's Second Chance (Scarlett and Jasper) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

(Scarlett’s POV)

+25 Points

I storm out of the hospital, my hands shaking so hard I can barely grip my car keys. The automatic doors slide shut behind me, cutting off the antiseptic smell and the memory of Jasper’s face–that desperate, pleading expression that almost made me stay.

Almost.

“Fool,” I mutter, fumbling with the key fob. “You’re such a goddamn fool, Scarlett.”

Three days. He lied for three days, watching me fall apart trying to protect him from memories he already had. Watching me soften toward him, let him back in, kiss him-

My stomach lurches. I press my forehead against the driver’s side window, the glass cool against my feverish skin.

What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I learn?

Four years ago, I swore I’d never let him hurt me again. Four years of building myself up, of becoming someone who didn’t need anyone. And in less than two weeks, I crumbled like wet paper the second he looked at me with those eyes.

“Pathetic.”

I wrench open the car door and slide behind the wheel. My reflection in the rearview mirror is a stranger–eyes red–rimmed, mascara smudged, hijab askew. I look exactly like what I am: a woman who keeps making the same mistake over and over, expecting different results.

The engine starts with a purr. I grip the steering wheel, trying to steady my breathing.

Then I hear it. Jasper’s voice echoing in my head, desperate and raw: “Scarlett, I’m trying to protect you!”

“You’re in danger. Someone wants to kill you-”

My hands freeze on the wheel.

I’d been so angry, so focused on his betrayal, that I’d dismissed everything else he said. But now, in the quiet of my car, his words replay with chilling clarity.

“You’re in danger.”

I’m in danger. Jasper knows someone is after my life. But how? And since when does he

know?

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Chapter 168

+25 Points

I haven’t shared my experience in Nashville with anyone. Not even Chloe who is my best friend, who I share everything with.

So how does Jasper know?

My phone buzzes in my purse, making me jump. I dig it out with trembling fingers.

A text from Chloe: Scarlett, it’s Chloe. Something’s happened. Lily and I are at the warehouse on Fifth Street. Come quickly. Come alone.

The blood drains from my face.

Lily.

My daughter’s name punches through every other thought. I don’t think. Don’t question why Chloe would take Lily to a warehouse or why her text sounds so strange–clipped and urgent when Chloe always types in full sentences with her usual dramatic flair.

I just drive, rushing to the location she sent me.

The city blurs past my windows. Traffic lights, pedestrians, other cars–they’re all background noise to the roar of panic in my ears. My foot presses harder on the gas pedal.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be-

Fifth Street is in the industrial district, full of abandoned buildings and empty lots. The warehouse Chloe mentioned sits at the end of a dead–end street, its brick facade crumbling, windows boarded up or broken.

I park haphazardly and rush toward the building, my heels catching on broken pavement.

“Lily!” My voice echoes off the empty street. “Chloe!”

The warehouse door is ajar. I push through it, and the smell hits me first–mold and rust and something chemical that burns my nostrils.

“Lily? Baby, where are you?”

“She’s not here.”

I spin around.

Virginia steps out from behind a concrete pillar, and the smile on her face makes my skin crawl. It’s not her usual fake sweetness or innocent act. This smile is empty. Cold.

Forced.

2/3

< Chapter 168

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