Chapter <b>9 </b>
<b>Jasper’s </b><b>POV </b>
Half a month.
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Half a month of waking up to an empty house. Half a month of calling Scarlett’s phone just to hear her voicemail. Half a month of pretending everything is fine and hale.
She doesn’t seem to be joking this time. She’s really angry.
I stare at the untouched breakfast. The eggs are cold. Again. The toast, soggy. Virginia can’t make anything right.
“You need to eat something,” she says, sitting across from me. “You’re getting <i>too </i>thin.”
I push the te away. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’re not a robot. How can you not be hungry when you didn’t eat anythingst night?” There’s something in her voice I can’t quite ce. Bitterness? “Maybe it’s time to ept that she’s noting back.”
The doorbell rings before I can respond. I check the time – it’s barely nine in the morning. Who the hell visits this early?
Through the peephole, I see James and ir Stone. Scarlett’s parents. My stomach drops.
“Jasper,” ir says the moment I open the door. Her eyes are red–rimmed, her face pale. “Have you heard from Scarlett?”
“No.” The wordes out rougher than I intended. “Not since she left.”
“It’s been two weeks since we talked to her,” James adds, his voice tight with worry. “Two
weeks without a word. This isn’t like her.”
I step aside to let them in. Virginia disappears upstairs, probably sensing the tension.
“She’s pregnant,” ir continues, pacing the living room. “Eight months pregnant, and she’s out there somewhere alone. What if something happened to her? What if she went intobor early?”
The thought makes my chest tighten. “She wouldn’t put herself in danger. Not with the baby.”
“Wouldn’t she?” James turns to face me. “You left her on a highway in the middle of the night. She walked away from everything she knew. Does that sound like someone making rational decisions?<b>” </b>
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His words hit like a punch to the gut. Because he’s right. I did that. I left my pregnant wife alone on a dark road because Virginia needed me.
God, what kind of man does that?
“I’ve been trying to reach her,” I say weakly. “She won’t answer my calls.”
“Have you tried her friend? That girl Chloe?” ir asks.
My head snaps up. Of course. Chloe. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?
“I know where she lives,” I say, already grabbing my keys. “Come on.”
The drive to Chloe’s apartment feels endless. Every red light is torture, every minute another moment Scarlett could be in danger. ir sits in the passenger seat, wringing her hands. James stares out the window, his jaw clenched.
Chloe’s building is in the artsy part of town, all exposed brick and fire escapes. I take the stairs two at a time, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I pound on her door. “Chloe! Open up!”
The door swings open, and there she is. Scarlett’s best friend, looking like she just rolled out of bed. Her dark hair is messy, her eyes sharp with annoyance.
“What the hell, Jasper? It’s not even ten-” She stops when she sees ir and James behind <ol><li>me. “Oh.” </li></ol>
“Where is she?” I demand. “Where’s Scarlett?”
“Not here.” Chloe crosses her arms, blocking the doorway. “And before you ask, no, you can’t
“Please,” ir steps forward. “We just need to know she’s safe. We haven’t heard from her in
two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Chloe’sugh is bitter. “That’s funny. You waited two weeks to care about her?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” James asks.
“It means you reced her with your real daughter the second you found out the truth. You froze her ounts, gave away her inheritance, and basically told her she didn’t belong in your family anymore.” Chloe’s voice rises. “And now you want to y concerned parents?”
“That’s not-” ir starts.
“Isn’t it?<b>” </b>Chloe cuts her off. “You let Virginia move into Scarlett’s childhood bedroom. You
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gave her the jewelry you’d been saving for Scarlett. You made it crystal clear who mattered
more.”
The words hang in the air like an usation. Because they’re true. Every single word.
“Is she here or not?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“No. She’s not here.” <fnbbca> Content originallyes from find?novel</fnbbca>
“Then where is she?”
“Somewhere you can’t hurt her anymore.” Chloe’s eyes narrow. <b>“</b>All of you.”
“We’re not trying to hurt her,” ir says, tears streaming down her face. “We love her. We raised her. She’s our daughter too.”
“Funny way of showing it.”
“Just tell us where she is,” I plead. “I need to know she’s okay.”
“Why? So you can drag her back here? So you can make her watch you choose Virginia over her again?” Chloe shakes her head. “She’s done with that. She’s done with all of you.”
“She’s my wife—<b>” </b>
“No, she’s not.” Chloe disappears into the apartment for a moment, then returns with something in her hand. “Not anymore.”
She holds up a photo. It takes me a second to realize what I’m looking at.
Divorce papers. Signed and dated.
-My signature is right there at the bottom, neat and official.
“She got these backst week,” Chloe says. “Congrattions. You’re officially divorced.”
The world tilts. “That’s impossible.”
“Is it? You signed them, didn’t you?”
“No.” The wordes out like a croak. “I never signed anything.”
Chloe’s expression shifts slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I never signed divorce papers. I never even saw them after she left.”
“But…” Chloe looks at the photo again. “This is your signature.”
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“It’s not mine.” I lean closer, studying the image. The handwriting looks like mine, but something’s off. The ‘J‘ is too curved, the ‘r‘ too straight. “Someone forged this.”
“Who would-” Chloe stops mid–sentence. Her eyes widen. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Virginia.” The namees out like a curse. “That maniptive little-”
“Virginia wouldn’t do that.” But even as I say it, doubt creeps in. The divorce papers that went missing from my house. Virginia’s insistence that Scarlett leaving was “for the best.” The way she’s been pushing me to move on.
“Wouldn’t she?” Chloe’s voice is deadly quiet. “The same woman who’s been sabotaging your marriage for three years? The same woman who times her panic attacks to ruin every special moment you have with Scarlett?”
My stomach drops. “You think she’s been doing it on purpose?”
“I don’t think it. I know it.” Chloe steps closer. “That woman has been ying a long game, Jasper. And you fell for itpletely.”
“Where is Scarlett?” I ask again, more desperate now. “Please. I need to fix this.”
“She’s gone.” Chloe’s voice softens slightly. “She left the city. She’s starting over somewhere
new.”
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“Because she asked me not to.” Chloe meets my eyes. “She said if anyone came looking for her, I should tell them she’s happy. She’s free. And she’s nevering back.”
Nevering back. My wife – my pregnant wife is gone, and she’s nevering back.
“She’s having my baby,” I whisper.
“Oh yeah? And you’re just realizing this now?” Chloe sneers, the look in her eyes making me shift
my gaze. <i>“</i>Well, she’s gone now. And she’s going to raise that little girl far away from all of you. In a safe environment where she won’t be hurt anymore.”
“We can change,” ir says desperately. “We can make this right.”
“Can you?” Chloe asks. “Can you undo three years of making her feel worthless? Can you
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take back all the times you chose Virginia over her? Can you give her back the family she thought she had?”
Silence.
“I didn’t think so.” Chloe steps back into her apartment. “Do yourselves a favor. Move <i>on</i>. Find happiness with your real daughter. And leave Scarlett alone.”
The door ms in our faces.
I stand there for a long moment, staring at the closed door. My wife is gone. My baby is gone. What the hell have I been doing? Now they’re gone and it’s all my fault.
“I need to find her.”
“How?” James asks. “We don’t even know where she went.”
“I’ll hire a private investigator. I’ll search every city if I have to.”
“Jasper-<b>” </b>
“No.” I turn to face them. “This is my wife we’re talking about. Pregnant and missing. I will find her even if it means turning this city upside down.”
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