The Abandoned Wife's Second Chance (Scarlett and Jasper) novel Chapter 77

Chapter 77

(Scarlett’s POV)

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As the applause fades, people file out around us, chattering about both speeches, but I can’t move. Can’t think past the words Jasper just spoke into that microphone for hundreds of people to hear.

She was my first love, my greatest love, and my biggest regret.

“Mama?” Lily’s small voice cuts through the fog in my head. “Why are you sad?”

I look down at her, this perfect little girl who has no idea her world just shifted. “I’m not sad, habibti.”

“But you’re crying.”

I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. When did I start crying again?

“Mama, did you see Daddy up there? He looked so handsome in his fancy clothes!” Lily bounces in my lap, her excitement bubbling over. “He talked about you, didn’t he? I heard him say your name lots of times.”

My throat closes up. “Yes, he did.”

“He loves you very much.” She says it so simply, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I could tell by his voice. It got all wobbly like mine does when I tell you I love you.”

Out of the mouths of babes.

“Lily…” I start, but she’s already climbing down from my lap.

“Can I go see him? Please, Mama? I want to tell him his speech was good too.”

Every instinct screams at me to say no. To grab her hand and walk out of this place before I do something stupid. Before I let hope creep back into the cracks of my broken heart.

But one look at her hopeful face, and I know I can’t. This is her father. Whatever happened between Jasper and me, whatever mistakes we made, she deserves to know him.

“Okay,” I whisper, “We can go see him.”

Her smile could light up the whole auditorium.

Chloe appears at my shoulder, her face creased with worry. “Scarlett, you don’t have to-

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“It’s fine.” I stand up on shaky legs. “She wants to see her father.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

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No. I’m not sure of anything anymore. But I take Lily’s hand anyway and walk toward the stage area where people are still congratulating Jasper.

He sees us coming from across the room. Our eyes meet, and something passes between us that I’m not ready to name. He excuses himself from the group of professors surrounding him and walks over, his steps careful, like he’s approaching a wild animal that might bolt.

“Lily.” His voice is soft when he crouches down to her level.

“Daddy!” She throws her arms around his neck, and I watch his whole body relax. “Your

speech was so good. You talked about Mama the whole time.”

He hugs her tight, his eyes closing for a moment. When he opens them, they’re bright with

unshed tears.

“Did you like it?”

“I loved it. You looked like a prince up there.” She pulls back to study his face seriously. “Are you gonna marry Mama again?”

My heart stops.

Jasper’s gaze flicks to mine, and I see my own panic reflected there.

“Lily, that’s not… that’s complicated, sweetheart.”

“Why is it complicated? You love her and she loves you. That’s what married people do.”

“Lily.” My voice comes out sharper than I intended. “We talked about this. Daddy and I aren’t married anymore.”

Her bottom lip trembles. “But why? If you love daddy…”

“Love isn’t always enough,” I say quietly, the words scraping my throat raw.

Jasper flinches like I slapped him.

“Sometimes people grow apart,” I continue, hating myself for the confusion in my daughter’s eyes. “Sometimes they want different things.”

“But I want us to be a family,” Lily whispers.

My heart breaks into a thousand pieces. “We are a family, habibti. Just a different kind of

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family.”

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She doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t argue either. Instead, she turns back to Jasper.

“Will you come play with me soon? I have new princess coloring books.”

“I’d love that.” He stands up, his gaze meeting mine. “If it’s okay with Mama.”

The hope in his voice is almost my undoing. I want to say no. Want to protect myself from whatever game this is, whatever moment of weakness made him bare his soul on that stage.

But Lily’s happiness matters more than my fear.

“You can spend time with her when you’re free,” I say carefully. “Call me first.”

“Thank you.” The relief in his voice is palpable. “Scarlett, I—”

“Don’t.” I take Lily’s hand. “We should go. It’s getting late.”

He nods, but I can see the words he wants to say burning in his eyes. The same words he just spoke to a room full of strangers but can’t seem to say directly to me.

“Bye, Daddy!” Lily waves as we walk away.

“Bye, princess. I’ll see you soon.”

The drive home passes in a blur of Lily’s chatter about the speech, about how proud she is of both her parents, about how she can’t wait to tell Grandma Blair all about it. I barely hear her over the roar in my own head.

Everything I am, everything I’ve achieved, I owe to her.

She was my first love, my greatest love, and my biggest regret.

Losing you is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Chloe says from the driver’s seat, shooting me a sideways glance.

I stare out the window at the passing streetlights. “Just tired.”

“It was quite a speech.”

“Mmm.”

“Very public declaration of love.”

I don’t respond.

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“Scarlett.” Her voice is gentle but persistent. “You know he meant every word, right? That wasn’t just for show.”

“Was it?” The words slip out before I can stop them. “How do I know this isn’t just another one of his games? Another way to get what he wants?”

“Because I saw his face when you walked away four years ago. I watched him fall apart.” She turns onto my street. “I know you’re scared. Hell, I’d be terrified too. But maybe… maybe this

time is different.”

I think about the man on that stage tonight. The vulnerability in his voice, the way his hands shook when he gripped the podium. The tears I saw in his eyes when he hugged Lily.

“Even if it is different,” I say quietly, “even if he’s changed… how do I trust that? How do I risk everything again?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe admits. “But I do know that running away didn’t make the love go away. It’s still there, Scarlett. Whether you want it to be or not.”

She pulls into my parking space, and I stare up at my apartment building. My safe space. The life I built without him.

“He still cares about you,” she says softly. “Anyone with eyes could see that tonight.”

I unbuckle my seatbelt and help Lily out of her car seat. The night air is cool against my

heated cheeks.

Chloe’s words follow me up the stairs, into my apartment, through Lily’s bedtime routine. They echo in the silence after I tuck my daughter in and stand alone in my kitchen, staring at nothing.

He still cares about you.

Maybe he does. Maybe tonight was real, raw, honest in a way he’s never been before.

But caring isn’t enough. Not after everything we’ve been through.

Chapter 78