<b>Chapter </b><b>134 </b>
(Scarlett’s POV)
+25 Points
The hospital waiting room smells like antiseptic and fear. I sit in an ufortable stic chair, my engagement ring catching the harsh fluorescent lights every time I fidget with my.
hands.
Dorian sits beside me, his fingersced through mine, but I can barely feel his touch.
All I can think about is the blood streaming down Jasper’s face as the paramedics loaded
him into the ambnce.
He saved my life.
He threw between me and a speeding car without hesitation.
And now he might die because of it. <fnb410> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n find?novel</fnb410>
“The doctor said head wounds always look worse than they are,” Dorian says quietly. “All that bleeding doesn’t necessarily mean—”
“I know.” My voicees out hoarse. “I know, but I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.”
“But he was there. You’re safe.”
Safe. The word feels foreign in my mouth. How can I be safe when someone just tried to murder me in broad daylight? When they’re probably nning their next attempt right now?
The automatic doors whoosh open, and I look up to see ir and James hurrying through the entrance. They look older than when Ist saw them, more fragile. ir’s hair ispletely gray now, and James moves with the careful steps of someone whose body has started failing him.
They move past us without a word, heading straight toward the door of the operating theater, where a frantic, sobbing Virginia is still standing guard.
“He’s in surgery. Head trauma, possible internal bleeding. They won’t tell me anything!” Virginia wails, clutching James’s arm..
James, ever the patriarch, wraps an arm around her, his face a mask of concern. “He’s strong, Virginia. He’ll pull through. You know Jasper.”
“But it’s <i>her </i>fault!” Virginia cries, her eyes, puffy and red, fixating on me with a pure,
< Chapter 134
+25 Points venomous hatred that makes me flinch. “Jasper’s in this condition because of her! If he dies, Scarlett, I will never forgive you! Do you hear me? Never!”
The usation is a physical blow, even though I know it’s steeped in her own chaotic grief. and jealousy. I can’t meet her gaze. I look down at myp, the ring on my finger suddenly feeling heavy, conspicuous, and sickeningly wrong.
<i>She’s </i><i>right</i>. The treacherous thought coils in my mind. <i>She’s </i><i>right</i>. I <i>caused </i><i>this</i><i>. </i>If I <i>hadn’t </i><i>answered </i><i>that </i><i>call</i><i>, </i><i>if </i><i>I </i><i>hadn’t </i>let <i>myself </i><i>be </i><i>lured </i><i>out </i><i>there</i><i>… </i>
“I didn’t know he would jump in,” I whisper. “I had no idea-”
“Don’t you dare!” Virginia spits, her voice hoarse. “Don’t you dare y innocent with me!”
“That’s enough.” Dorian stands up, moving to ce himself between me and Virginia’s rage. “Scarlett is the victim here. Someone tried to kill her.”
“And Jasper got hurt saving her life,” Virginia snaps back. “So forgive me if I’m not feeling particrly sympathetic right now.”
“Virginia, please.” ir’s voice is tired, defeated. “Fighting won’t help Jasper.”
But Virginia isn’t finished. She turns back to me, her eyes zing with a hatred that takes my breath away.
“If anything happens to him–if he has brain damage, if he doesn’t wake up–I will never forgive you. Do you hear me? Never.”
The threat hangs in the air between us. I want to defend myself, to point out that I never asked Jasper to save me.
But the guilt is too heavy. The weight of knowing that a man might die because he tried to protect me…
I know,” I say quietly. “I know this is my fault.”
“Scarlett, no.” Dorian sits back down beside me, his hand finding mine again. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t ask to be attacked. You didn’t ask for Jasper to save you<i>.</i><i>” </i>
But his words feel hollow. Because Virginia is right about one thing–Jasper is in this condition because of me.
“Who’s the patient’s family?”
We all turn toward the voice. A doctor in scrubs stands at the edge of the waiting area, his expression neutral but tired.
< Chapter 134
Virginia jumps to her feet. “That’s me. How is he?”
+25 Points
The doctor nces around at all of us, probably wondering why there’s such a crowd if only she is his family.
“The patient has a moderate concussion and needed twelve stitches for theceration on his forehead. But since this is a head injury, the injury could be <i>more </i>severe than what we got on the CT scan. There could be bleeding in the brain or skull fracture. Either way, the next 48 hours are very crucial. If the patient doesn’t wake up before then, he could go into aa.”
Virginia staggers, and James has to catch her arm to keep her steady.
“Can I see him?” she asks.
“You can. But only family members for now, and just one person at a time.”
“I’m his…” Virginia hesitates, and I realize she doesn’t know how to finish that sentence. She’s not his wife. Not his girlfriend, really. Just a woman who’s been orbiting his life for years, without a title or status.
“I’m his emergency contact,” she says finally, and I wonder since when.
“Room 314. The nurse will show you the way.”
Virginia hurries off without a backward nce, leaving the rest of us in ufortable silence.
“I should go,” I say, starting to stand. “Lily’s with Chloe, and she’s probably scared.” “Scarlett, wait.” ir approaches me hesitantly, like she’s not sure she has the right to ask me to stay. “Could we talk? Just for a minute?”
I look at Dorian, who squeezes my hand and then releases it. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
He walks toward the vending machines, but I can feel him watching us, ready to intervene if this conversation goes badly.
ir sits in the chair he vacated, her hands folded in herp. Up close, she looks exhausted. Older than her years.
“How are you holding up?” she asks softly.
The question surprises me. I expected usations, me, maybe another lecture about how I’m hurting the family. I didn’t expect genuine concern.
“I’m okay,” I lie. “Shaken up, but okay.”
:
< Chapter 134
+25 Points
“I’m sorry,” she says quietly. “For how we treated you when we found out about Virginia.”
The apology catches me off guard. It’s what I wanted to hear four years ago, what I dreamed about during those lonely nights when I was pregnant and alone.
But now? Now it feels too little, toote.
Violet Moon
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