The Abandoned Wife's Second Chance (Scarlett and Jasper) novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46

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(Jasper’s POV)

“Granddaughter?” The world stops.

Everything–the argument, the tension, the anger filling the room–it all fades into white noise as I stare at the little girl standing next to Scarlett.

Dark hair. Dark eyes that mirror mine exactly. The same stubborn set to her jaw that I see in the mirror every morning.

My daughter.

Lily is my daughter?

“Daughter. My daughter.” The word sounds foreign to my ears. The impossibility of it leaves me stunned. Speechless.

Four years. Four years of searching, of wondering, of nightmares about what happened to my child. Four years of not knowing if Scarlett lost the baby, believing that I’d failed as a husband and father before I even got the chance to try.

Yet she’s here, real, perfect.

“Lily,” Her name breaks something inside my chest. I can’t breathe. Can’t think. Can’t do anything but stare at this perfect little person who’s looking back at me with innocent

curiosity.

She’s alive. My baby is alive.

Lily is my daughter’s name.

It fits her well. Pure and beautiful, just like a lily.

She tilts her head, studying me with those eyes–my eyes–and I can barely breathe.

“I know you! You’re the uncle from the bakery, oh, and the park! Right?” she asks, innocent

and curious.

The question nearly destroys me. My own daughter doesn’t know who I am. She’s four years old, and I’m a stranger to her.

Because of Scarlett. Because of the choices she made. How could she keep my child from

me?

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< Chapter 46

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But I can’t think about that now. Can’t focus on the anger or betrayal or the four years I’ll never get back. All I can see is this beautiful little girl who carries half my DNA, who exists because of love I thought was lost forever.

I take a step forward, then another, my legs moving without conscious thought, before dropping to my knees in front of her, my hands shaking as I reach out.

“Can I… can I hug you?” I ask, my voice cracking.

Lily looks up at Scarlett, seeking permission, and the gesture cuts through me like a blade. She doesn’t even know to look to me for anything.

“It’s okay, baby,” Scarlett says quietly, and I hear the defeat in her voice. The knowledge that everything has changed, that there’s no going back from this moment.

Lily nods and steps toward me, and when her small arms wrap around my neck, something inside me breaks wide open.

“Baby,” I choke out, pulling her against my chest like I can absorb her into my soul. “My precious baby girl.”

Tears pour down my face–hot, desperate tears that I can’t control. I’m shaking, overwhelmed by the tsunami of emotions crashing through me.

Joy. Pure, devastating joy that she’s alive, that she’s healthy, that she’s here in my arms.

Love. Instant, fierce, protective consumes every cell in my body.

And pain. Soul–deep pain for every moment I’ve missed. Every bedtime story, every scraped knee, every first word and first step and first day of school that I’ll never get back.

“You’re crying,” Lily says, pulling back to touch my wet cheek with her tiny finger. “Are you

sad?”

“No, sweetheart.” I cup her face in my hands, memorizing every feature. The slope of her nose–Scarlett’s nose. The curve of her smile–mine. The way her eyebrows furrow when she’s thinking–definitely mine. “I’m happy. So, so happy.”

“Why?”

How do I explain this to a four–year–old? How do I tell her that I’ve been searching for her since before she was born, that she’s the missing piece of my heart I thought was gone forever?

“Because I’ve been waiting to meet you for a very long time,” I say, brushing her hair away from her face. “And you’re even more beautiful than I dreamed.”

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< Chapter 46

She giggles, the sound like music. “You’re silly.”

“Yeah?” I smile through my tears. “I guess I am.”

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I could stay like this forever. Just holding her, memorizing the weight of her in my arms, the sound of her voice, the way she smells like strawberry shampoo and childhood innocence.

But reality crashes back when I hear Scarlett’s sharp intake of breath behind me.

I look up at her, and the expression on her face is everything I expected and more. Fear. Guilt. Desperation. And underneath it all, the same fierce protectiveness I feel radiating through my

bones.

She’s terrified. Terrified of what this means, of what I might do now that I know the truth.

(Virginia’s POV)

This is a nightmare.

An absolute nightmare.

I watch Jasper fall to pieces in front of that child, and every sob, every whispered endearment, every tear streaming down his face feels like a knife between my ribs.

“My precious baby girl.”

The words echo in my head, making me physically sick. This wasn’t supposed to happen. James and Blair were supposed to take Lily home, and I was going to use their attachment to her to drive Scarlett away for good. Force her to choose between her child’s happiness and staying in town.

Instead, Jasper shows up at the worst possible moment and discovers what I’ve been dreading for four years.

He has a daughter. With Scarlett.

A living, breathing reminder of their connection. Their love. Their marriage that I’ve been trying so hard to destroy.

“She’s beautiful,” he breathes, still staring at Lily like she hung the moon. “She’s absolutely

beautiful.”

My hands clench into fists at my sides. I can see it happening already–the shift in his priorities, the way his entire world is realigning around this child. Around Scarlett.

I’m losing him. Right here, right now, I’m losing him completely.

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“Jasper.” I force my voice to stay calm, concerned. I reach out and touch his arm, feeling the tension vibrating through his muscles. “Jasper, you’re mistaken.”

He doesn’t even look at me. “She has my eyes. Look at her–she has my eyes.”

“No.” I squeeze his arm harder, desperation making my voice sharp. “You’re not thinking clearly. This girl isn’t your child.”

That gets his attention. He turns to stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“What are you talking about?”

I force a sad, sympathetic smile. The kind that says I hate being the one to burst his bubble, but someone has to be the voice of reason.

“Jasper, honey, look around. Scarlett’s been with Dorian for months. They’re together, living together, building a life together.” I gesture toward where Dorian stands protectively behind Scarlett and Lily. “She’s Scarlett and Dorian’s daughter.”

Silence.

Dead, awful silence that stretches between all of us like a loaded gun.

Scarlett’s face goes from white to gray, her eyes wide with something that looks like panic. Good. She knows exactly what I’m doing, and she’s terrified.

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