Chapter 1

Clary's POV

I stared across the room, my eyes wide with shock.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I rubbed my eyes, hoping I was hallucinating.

Nope. Still there.

I felt me breathing quicken and tears began to well up in my eyes.

Sitting on the black leather couch across the room was Jace.

In front of him was a girl.

I would've been fine with this – if they weren't kissing that is.

The girl had her hands in Jace's hair and Jace had his hands on her hips.

I curled my hands into fists and stormed over to Jace and this mystery girl.

When I was close enough I reached out and grabbed her hair, pulling her away from Jace.

I saw Jace staring at me with wide eyes, as was the blonde mundane girl on the floor.

Before I could think, I was on the ground attacking the girl that had been kissing Jace.

She threw her hands up to protect herself, not bothering to even try and fight me off.

I felt a pair of hands on my sides and before I knew it, I was being pulled away from the mundane girl.

"What are you doing Clary?" Jace asked, spinning me around so I was facing him.

I held back the tears as I replied.

"Why were you kissing her!?" I shouted. I hadn't meant to but my emotions were getting the better of me.

"Clary..." Jace said.

"No! You know what!? I don't want to hear it! You betrayed me Jace! I hate you!" I screamed, the tears starting to fall down my cheeks.

"Clary please," Jace said, reaching up to wipe the tears away.

"No!" I shouted, slapping his hand before he could touch me. "You betrayed me!"

I was silent for a while and so was Jace.

I noticed the mundane girl watching us from across the room, holding the side of her face.

I glanced back up at Jace, my anger and pain taking over again.

"You know what... I wish you never existed!" I shouted.

With that, I turned and stormed out of the party, pushing everyone out of my way.

This is what I get for going to a stupid high school party.

I took off running down the street, trying to get as far away from the house as I could.

I stopped at the corner and glanced back, making sure no one was following me.

When I saw no one, I let the tears start to fall again.

Eventually, I saw a cab coming towards me and tried to get it to stop.

Luckily, it did.

I couldn't really go home as Mom and Luke weren't home and I wasn't really confident staying there on my own – not tonight anyway.

If I wasn't at the institute, Jace would try looking at my house next.

I couldn't go to Simon's as he no longer lived there and I had no idea where he was actually staying at the moment.

I didn't want to check into a hotel either so I decided I would just stay at the institute and make sure my window was shut and my door was locked.

Maybe if Jace thought I didn't want to talk to him, he would leave me alone.

I climbed in the back of the cab and told the driver where to go.

I then just sat back and tried to calm down.

By the time we reached the corner near the institute, I was relatively calm.

I handed the driver the money for the ride and got out.

Slowly, I walked back to the institute.

Inside the institute was warm – a much welcome change from the cold wind that was blowing outside.

I walked over to the elevator and stepped inside.

It slowly rumbled up to the floor I wanted to be on and when it finally groaned to a stop, I stepped out into the hall and walked up to my room locking the door once I was inside.

My window was already shut so I didn't need to worry about it.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and just looked around my room.

My eyes soon fell on the picture frame on my bedside table though.

In the picture frame was a picture of Jace and I in the park.

It was the picture Isabelle had taken when we had all gone out.

Jace and I didn't even know the picture had been taken until Isabelle gave it to us once she'd printed it out.

I felt the tears return to my eyes and I picked up the picture frame and threw it across the room, not able to look at Jace or anything of his without remembering how he betrayed me.

I soon found myself crying again with my face buried in my pillow.

I heard a knock on my door but I ignored it, not wanting to talk to anyone, especially the person who spoke out in the hall.

"Clary, please," Jace said quietly.

"No! You broke my heart Jace! You betrayed me! Like I said before, I wish you never existed!" I shouted.

He seemed to understand though as I heard his footsteps retreating down the hall.

After everything I'd done for him, after everything we'd been through together, he'd kissed someone else. He'd betrayed me and broken my heart.

There was no way I was going t forgive him. Not now.

I soon cried myself to sleep, the image of Jace kissing someone else clear in my mind.

I woke up to the sunlight pouring in through my window.

I covered my eyes and sat up.

It was now that I noticed I was still in my outfit from last night.

Sighing, I got up out of bed and walked into the bathroom to clean my make-up off.

I brushed my hair, had a shower and got changed into something for today.

I decided to wear a blue t-shirt, a pair of jeans and my usual sneakers.

I noticed my picture frame lying across the room and went to pick it up.

I sighed.

When I threw it I had cracked the glass.

Magnus would be able to fix it though.

It was now though that I noticed the picture frame held a different picture than last night.

It had still been taken in the park yet Jace wasn't in it.

It was just me, staring at something in the distance.

I frowned and put the picture back where it belonged on my bedside table.

I walked over to the door and opened it, glancing back at the picture before I walked out into the hall.

"Morning Clary," Isabelle said, walking down the hall.

"Morning Izzy... hey, have you seen Jace?" I asked. "I need to talk to him."

"Who's Jace?" Isabelle asked.