Chapter 11 ( Jasper's POV ) I've been sitting in my car for who knows how long . The rain hasn't stopped . Neither have I. My back aches from sleeping hunched over the steering wheel . My stomach growls , but I can't leave . What if Chloe comes back ? What if she knows where Scarlett went ? I rub my eyes , checking my phone for the hundredth time . No missed calls . No texts . Nothing . The parking lot of Chloe's apartment complex has become my prison . A few neighbors have walked by , giving me strange looks through their umbrellas . One old man knocked on my window around midnight , asking if I needed help . " I'm fine , " I told him . But I'm not fine . I'm falling apart . The rain pounds against the windshield like bullets . Each drop feels personal , like the sky is punishing me for what I've done . My phone shows it's nearly evening again . Almost twenty - four hours since my world collapsed . I can't sit here anymore . I step out into the storm , instantly soaked . The cold cuts through my shirt , but I don't care . I need to find Chloe . She has to know something . The coffee shop across the street first . The one where Scarlett and Chloe used to meet every Tuesday . I push through the door , dripping water all over their floor . " Excuse me ," I say to the barista , a young girl with pink hair . " Have you seen Chloe ? Middle Eastern woman , about this tall ? " She shakes her head . " Sorry , no . " I try the bookstore next . Then the grocery store . The pharmacy . Every place I can think of where Chloe might go . Nothing . 1/5 Chapter 11 By the time I make it back to my car , I'm shivering . My clothes stick to my skin , and my shoes squelch with every step . I must look crazy to the passerbys , but I can hardly bring myself to care . I slide back into the driver's seat and slam the door . This is useless . Chloe could be anywhere . She could have left town already , My phone buzzes . A call from an unknown number ? My heart skips a beat . I answer so fast I nearly drop the phone . " Hello ? " Silence . " Hello ? Chloe , is that you ? " The line goes dead . Five minutes later , a text comes through from the same unknown number : Gate 15. Flight 623 to Chicago . Leaves in 45 minutes . Chicago . Scarlett's going to Chicago ? My heart sinks . I don't think . I just move . The engine roars to life , and I tear out of the parking lot so fast the devil himself might as well be chasing me . The airport is thirty minutes away . In this rain , with evening traffic , it could take an hour for me to get to her . I weave between cars , hazard lights flashing , laying on the horn at anyone stupid enough to cut in front of me . " Come on , come on ," I mutter , watching the clock tick by on the dashboard . Forty minutes until takeoff . Thirty - five . Thirty . Out of the blue , a semi truck cuts me off and I slam the brakes , sliding on wet asphalt . My heart hammers against my ribs as I fight for control . I can't miss her . I can't let her disappear again . The airport parking garage is a nightmare . I abandon my car in a handicapped spot and run . My dress shoes slip on the wet concrete , but I don't slow down . Through the glass doors , past the check - in counters , toward security . The line stretches forever . " Sir , you need to wait your turn , " the TSA agent says when I try to push forward . 2/5 < Chapter 11 " My wife ," I pant , pulling out my wallet . " She's leaving . Please . " Something in my voice must get to him . He waves me toward the front of the line . More Rewards I've never moved so fast . Shoes off , belt off , phone in the bin . The metal detector beeps at my gold buttons , but they wave me through anyway . Gate 15 is at the far end of the terminal . I run past families saying goodbye , past business travelers with their laptops . My lungs burn , my legs ache , but I keep going . The gate comes into view and I see her . Scarlett . She's in line to board , her green hijab bright against her black dress . Even from behind , I'd know her anywhere . The way she holds her shoulders , the way she shifts her weight when she's nervous . She's here . She's really leaving . " Scarlett ! " I shout her name , pushing through the crowd . A few people turn to stare , but she doesn't hear me over the announcements . The line continues to move forward , and then ... she disappears down the jet bridge . " No , no , no . " I reach the counter just as the gate agent closes the door . " Please . My wife is on that plane . " " I'm sorry , sir . Once we close the door , no one else can board . " I press my face to the window , watching the plane push back from the gate . Row after row of tiny windows . Is she looking out ? Can she see me standing here like a fool ? The aircraft taxis toward the runway . Just when I pull out my phone to instruct my assistant to book me the next flight , she turns her head and our gaze collides ... I forget to breathe . For one tense moment , I think she's going to command the flight attendant to stop the plane , to let her get off . But then ... she retracts her gaze and something inside me shatters completely . She saw me . She knows I came for her . She saw and yet ... she still left . 3/5 : < Chapter 11 More Rewards > The plane's lights disappear into the storm clouds , leaving me stunned , drained . Alone . I drive home in a daze . The house feels like a tomb when I walk through the door . Every room screams her absence . Her coffee mug still sits by the sink . Her book on the nightstand , bookmark poking out where she left off reading . A romance novel about second chances . I pick it up , and the bookmark falls out . There , in the margin , she's written something in her neat handwriting : " What would it feel like to be loved like this ? " The question destroys me . I collapse onto our bed - my bed now - and pull out my phone . Maybe I can catch the next flight . Maybe I can- My phone buzzes . Text message . From Scarlett . My hands shake as I read it : Jasper , I won't beg you to love me anymore . I won't wait for crumbs of your attention or hope that someday you'll see me as more than an obligation . I'm tired of being invisible , tired of coming second to Virginia . The baby and I deserve better . We deserve someone who chooses us first . Someone who doesn't need a crisis to remember we exist . Don't follow me . Don't try to find me . I'm going to start over with my child in a new city . Away from you . Away from the Stones . Away from the shadow of Virginia in our lives . Chloe told me she signed the divorce papers on your behalf . It doesn't matter ... I'll have my lawyer send you new divorce papers soon . Scarlett P.S.- For what it's worth , I really did love you once . I Now , I want to start loving myself ... She knows . She knows Virginia forged my signature . She knows I never wanted the divorce . 4/5 : < Chapter 11 She knows , but she doesn't care . More Rewards The phone slips from my fingers , clattering to the floor . And with it crumbles the last remaining hope in my heart . This isn't a stunt to get my attention . Scarlett's gone , and she really means it this time . 14