(Virginia’s POV)


    +25 Points


    The silence of the church is a suffocating nket. It amplifies the sound of my own heart hammering against my ribs.


    I stand just outside the side door, hidden in the shadows of the narthex, watching Jasper still on his knees before the altar.


    He is a mess. A magnificent, agonizing mess.


    And every tear he sheds, every choked whisper of her name rips my heart to shreds.


    Part of me wants to go to him anyways, tofort him, to try once again to make him see that I’m here. That I’ve always been here.


    But another part of me–the part that’s been growing tired and weary with each passing day- has had enough.


    I slip out the back entrance and find a quiet corner of the church courtyard. My hands shake as I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts until I find the number I swore I’d never


    call again.


    Morgan.


    My finger hovers over her name for a long moment. Once I make this call, there’s no going back. But what choice do I have? Jasper will never love me with Scarlett around.


    I take a deep breath, and hit dial.


    “Well, well.” Morgan’s voice is smooth, amused. “I wondered when you’de crawling back.”


    “I was wrong,” I say without preamble. “You were right.”


    “About what, specifically?”


    Heat crawls up my neck. Morgan always did enjoy shaming me, making me grovel. <fn72f2> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find?novel</fn72f2>


    “About Jasper. He’ll never love me with Scarlett around.”


    “Mm. And?”


    “He’s still hung up on her. Even after she epted another man’s proposal.”


    “Took you long enough to figure it out.”


    425 Points


    The casual dismissal hits me like a punch to the gut. All these years of trying to handle this myself, of believing I could win Jasper’s love through patience and dedication…


    Morgan saw through him. She called my efforts meaningless, and she was right. Again.


    “Morgan-”


    “Is that why you called me? To clean up your mess?”


    The anger surges, hot and acidic, burning the back of my throat. It’s a familiar, toxicpanion, but tonight it feels corrosive, pushing me past the point of sanity. “I’ve had enough. Do whatever you want, but I want Scarlett gone.”


    “I already made the arrangement,” she says, her voice dropping lower. “Just wait for news.”


    My heart stops. “What do you mean, arrangement? What kind of <b>” </b>


    The line goes dead.


    I stare at my phone, my hands trembling. What did she mean? What arrangement? Part of me wants to call back, to demand answers, to tell her to stop whatever she’s nning.


    But a darker part of me–the part that’s grown tired–burns with anticipation.


    Because when Morgan takes action, it never ends pretty.


    I slip the phone back into my purse and return to the church. He’s in the same position I left him. Crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around his knees.


    “Jasper?“I call gently, sitting next to him. “Remember when we were kids? That summer when we built the fort in your backyard?”


    But he’s not listening. His eyes are distant, lost in memories closed to me.


    I swallow the rage fighting to erupt, and continue in my sweet, joyous tone. “It was raining. You wanted me to go inside. But I didn’t want to leave you, so I stayed.” I lean closer, my lips almost touching his cheek as I reminisce about the past. “And because of that, I fell sick the next day. You took care of me…”


    “She looked so beautiful,” he suddenly mumbles, and I freeze, my smile turning stiff. “So happy. I haven’t seen her smile like that in years.”


    It’s funny. I should be angry, furious even. But the fact that he’s thinking about how beautiful she looked for another man…it makes me want tough.


    “She was always there,” he continues, not noticing me trembling beside him. “Always. But I was too stupid to see it.”


    < Chapter 131


    2+28 Points


    “But you can’t change the past, Jasper. All you can do is focus on the future. On the people who are still here.”


    “No.” He turns to look at me, and for a moment, hope flickers in my chest. Maybe finally, maybe now-


    “I have to go back,” he says suddenly, standing up. “I have to stop this engagement. Scarlett is mine. I won’t give her to anyone. Not even Dorian.”


    I grab his arm, panic flooding through me. “Jasper, no. You saw her tonight. She’s happy. She made her choice.”


    “I never fought for her.” His eyes are wild, desperate. “Not once. I let Virginia–I let you–l let everyone elsee between us. But I’m not going to lose her again.”


    Jasper, please. Think about what you’re doing. Think about-<b>” </b>


    But he’s already stumbling away, running out of the church like a man possessed.


    I follow him, my heels clicking frantically on the marble floor.


    “Jasper, wait!”


    He doesn’t slow down. Doesn’t even acknowledge that I’m calling his name. By the time I reach the parking lot, he’s already gone.


    I run over to my car, and chase after him.


    Violet Moon


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