Chapter 19 ( Blair's POV ) More Rewards > " Blair , honey , what's wrong ? " James pulls me against his chest , shielding me from the curious stares of other shoppers . " I miss her , James . I miss Scarlett so much it hurts . " The words come out broken and raw . " That little girl ... she remembers me so much of Scarlett at that age . Same personality , same sweetness . " " I saw it too . " His voice is tight , controlled in the way it gets when he's trying not to lose his temper . " But that doesn't change anything . " " If Scarlett had her baby , our grandchild would be about that age now . We should be buying candy for our own granddaughter , not for some stranger's child . " James's jaw clenches . " Scarlett made her choice , Blair . She could have stayed and worked things out like an adult . Instead , she ran away like a spoiled child who didn't get her way . " " That's not fair- " " Isn't it ? " He turns to face me , and I see the hurt he's been hiding behind his anger . " We gave her everything . Over twenty years of love , support , education . The moment things got complicated , she abandoned us . Didn't even try to fight for her marriage or her family . " " You didn't see her face the day we told her about Virginia . She was devastated . " " She was dramatic . " His voice hardens . " Virginia is our blood , Blair . Our real daughter who was stolen from us as a baby . If Scarlett truly loved us , she would have understood that . She would have welcomed Virginia home . " My chest tightens . " Scarlett loved us . She still loves us . " " Then where is she ? " James spreads his arms wide . " Four years , Blair . Four years without a single phone call , letter , or text message . If she considered us her real parents , don't you think she would have reached out by now ? " The words hit me like physical blows . " Maybe she's afraid we don't want her anymore . " " Or maybe she never really saw us as family to begin with . " His voice cracks slightly , revealing the pain beneath his anger . " Maybe we were just convenient until she found something better . " " James , you don't mean that . " 1/6 < Chapter 19 More Rewards " Don't I ? " He runs his hands through his graying hair . " Think about it , Blair . The moment Virginia came into the picture , Scarlett couldn't handle sharing our attention . What kind of daughter does that ? What kind of person abandons her family because she has to share ? " " She was pregnant . Scared . Her husband was choosing another woman over her every day . " " Jasper cared about Virginia because she needed help . Scarlett was just jealous . " I stare at my husband , hardly recognizing the man I married . " How can you say that ? Scarlett worked herself to the bone trying to make Jasper happy . She never complained about his long hours or his distance . She just kept trying. " " Because she wanted to keep her comfortable life . " His tone is bitter now . " The money , the status , the security . The moment it looked like Virginia might threaten that , she showed her true colors . " " That's not who she is . " " Then where is she ? " He asks again , louder this time . " Where's our supposedly loving daughter ? Where's our grandchild ? If she truly cared about us , why hasn't she come home ? " I don't have an answer for that . Because deep down , a small part of me wonders the same thing . James sees my hesitation and his expression softens slightly . " Blair , I loved Scarlett too . For twenty - one years , she was my little girl . But she made her choice . She chose to leave rather than accept Virginia as her sister . She chose her pride over her family . " " Maybe if I'd handled it differently . If I'd told her the truth more gently ... " " You can't blame yourself for her selfishness . " " She might not have run away . " The words come out broken . " She might have stayed . We might have raised our granddaughter together . " James is quiet for a long moment , and when he speaks , his voice is tired . " Maybe . But she didn't stay . And after four years of silence , I don't think she's coming back . " " What if we're wrong ? What if she needs us and doesn't know how to reach out ? " " Then she should have thought of that before she disappeared . " Despite his harsh words , I can see the conflict in his eyes . The love warring with hurt and disappointment . He misses her too , even if he won't admit it . " I don't know . But that little girl in there made me realize something . " I take a shaky breath , 2/6 Chapter 19 More Rewards > my voice barely above a whisper . " I'd rather try and fall than spend the rest of my life wondering what if . " James crosses his arms , his expression guarded . " And what exactly are you suggesting ? " " Maybe we should hire someone . To find her . " " Blair- " His tone carries a warning . " Just to know she's okay . We don't have to contact her if she doesn't want us to . But I need to know she's safe . That she's happy ." " After what she put us through ? After the way she just vanished without a word ? " James shakes his head . " Why should we chase after someone who clearly doesn't want us in her life ? " " Because she's our daughter ! " The words burst out of me , raw and desperate . " Adopted or not , blood or not , she's our daughter . And if she's out there struggling , if she's alone and scared , I need to know . " James stares at me for a long moment , and I can see the war being fought behind his eyes . Love versus pride . Hope versus hurt . " Fine , " he says finally , his voice grudging . " But we're not doing this to beg her to come back . We're doing it to put your mind at ease . If she's doing fine without us , then we leave her alone . " " And if she's not ? " His jaw tightens . " Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it . " I nod , relief flooding through me . It's not the enthusiastic agreement I was hoping for , but it's something . " We'll look into birth records at the local hospitals first , " James continues , his tone becoming more businesslike . " If she had the baby here , there will be documentation . " " Thank you . " I reach for his hand , but he pulls away . " Don't thank me yet . This might be the worst mistake we've ever made . " ( Scarlett's POV ) Five minutes pass . Then ten . My chest starts to tighten . How long does it take a four - year - old to use the bathroom ? 3/6 < Chapter 19 More Rewards > I abandon the cart and walk toward the restrooms , my steps quickening with each passing second . " Lily ? " I call out , pushing open the women's restroom door . Empty . My heart stops . " Lily ! " I check each stall , my voice echoing off the tiles . Nothing . The men's room . Maybe she got confused . I pound on the door . " Excuse me ! Is there a little girl in there ? About four years old ? " " No , ma'am , " comes a gruff voice . " Just me . " Panic claws at my throat . I run back into the store , scanning every aisle with wild eyes . " Lily ! Lily , where are you ? " Other shoppers start to notice , some stopping to stare as I become increasingly frantic . A store employee approaches , his face concerned . " Ma'am ? Is everything alright ? " " My daughter . She's four years old , dark hair in braids , wearing a pink jacket . She went to the bathroom and now I can't find her . " My voice breaks on the last words . " Let me call security and make an announcement . " He speaks into his radio , and within moments , his voice booms over the store's intercom system . " Attention shoppers , we have a lost child . Four - year - old girl , dark hair , wearing a pink jacket . If you see her , please bring her to customer service immediately . " I can barely breathe . This is my worst nightmare . What if Virginia took her ? What if someone else did ? What if I never see my baby again ? " Ma'am ? " The employee touches my arm gently . " Why don't you come with me to customer service ? That's usually where lost children end up ." I follow him on shaking legs , my mind racing through every horrible possibility . Four years of protecting her , of keeping her safe , and I lost her in a grocery store . What kind of mother am 1 ? At the customer service desk , I see her immediately . " Mama ! " Lily waves excitedly from behind the counter , completely oblivious to my panic . She's holding a lollipop and grinning like she's won the lottery . Relief hits me so hard I nearly collapse . I rush around the counter and pull her into my arms , holding her so tight she squeaks in protest . 4/6 < Chapter 19 " Lily ! Oh God , I was so scared . Where were you ? I told you to come straight back ! " More Rewards > " I'm sorry , Mama . I got a little lost after the bathroom , but then these really nice grandparents found me and helped me ! " She holds up the lollipop . " They gave me this and told me stories while we walked to the front desk . They were so nice ! " My blood chills . " What grandparents ? What did they look like ? " " The lady had pretty gray hair and wore a blue sweater . The man had glasses and he smelled like those mints you put in your purse sometimes . They said I reminded them of someone special . " The description is too vague to mean anything , but something about it makes my skin crawl . What if it was someone who knew me ? What if they recognized Lily somehow ? " Did they ask you any questions ? About your name , or where you live ? " Lily scrunches her nose , thinking . " They asked my name , and I told them it was Lily . And they asked if I was here with my mama , and I said yes but that I got lost . Then they said they would help me find you . " " Did they ask anything else ? About me , or where we live ? " " No , they just wanted to make sure I was safe . They were really worried about me , Mama . Just like you worry . " She looks up at me with innocent eyes . " They reminded me of the grandparents in my storybooks . All warm and huggy . " The store employee clears his throat . " Ma'am , it sounds like Good Samaritans who helped your daughter when they found her wandering . This happens more often than you'd think . " Maybe he's right . Maybe I'm being paranoid because of everything with Virginia . Maybe it really was just kind strangers helping a lost child . But as we walk to the car , Lily chattering about her adventure , I can't shake the feeling that this wasn't random . Something about the timing , the way Lily described them - it feels too coincidental . " Mama , are you mad at me ? " Lily's voice is small as I buckle her into her car seat . " No , baby . I'm not mad . I was just scared . When I couldn't find you ... " I smooth her hair back , my hands still trembling slightly , " You're the most important thing in the world to me . I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you . " " Nothing's gonna happen to me . You're the best mama ever , and you always keep me safe . " Her absolute faith in me makes my chest ache . If only she knew how close I came to losing < Chapter 19 More Rewards > her today . How easily someone could have taken her away while I was focused on picking pasta sauce . As we drive home , I make a promise to never let Lily out of sight in crowds again . : 5/6