Chapter 23

Wafts of air drifted from the brewers, filling the coffee shop with the bittersweet aroma of fresh ground coffee beans, mixed with all sorts of spices. Jace sat slouched in his seat, back to the window, and fidgeted absently at a random plastic edge jutting out of the rim. Girls breezed past him, eyeing him, but he didn't notice.

"Hey," Isabelle, sitting across from him, said. "Those girls are making fools of themselves, trying to catch your attention." She sipped her mocha.

"Hmm," Alec said, busy texting someone – probably Magnus.

"Hmm," Jace grunted, too busy moping to care.

It had been nearly two weeks since he'd discovered the dog, and two weeks he'd been avoiding Valentine. If he looked at his boss in the eye, he would probably give himself away.

Every meeting he had with prospective buyers felt like jabs of knives stabbing deeper and deeper, knowing that he was selling a stolen item. Stolen from Shadowhunter Academy. Stolen from Clary.

Clary.

God. Her face haunted his dreams. With her hair flaming red and her eyes, sad and green, she'd ask him the same question, over and over, every single night. "Why'd you do it, Jace?"

"I didn't know," he'd answer in anguish, desperately hoping she'd understand. "I didn't know about it."

And each time her eyes would grow furious and she'd rise above him, growing taller and taller, fueled by anger and hatred, and she'd shout, "Did I mean that less to you?"

Then he would wake up.

Isabelle casted both of them an irritated glare. "Seriously. Maybe you guys should spare a glance at them. Or maybe I should – " She choked, spewing coffee all over Alec's screen, and spluttered something incoherent. Her eyes grew wide and nervous.

"Isabelle," Alec snapped, furiously wiping his phone on his sleeve. "You know I just got this phone two weeks ago – Izzy?" Seeing her expression, he followed her gaze. And choked.

Jace glanced up. "You guys okay?" His voice trailed off, and he turned in his seat.

"No!" Isabelle thrust her hands out, as if she could stop him.

"Don't!" Alec cried, lunging forward.

But it was too late. He saw her, standing outside Pete's Coffee. She looked like a mess. Her hair billowed out behind her, her eyes were puffy and red, and her jacket was buttoned unevenly. She stood frozen, her expression startled as she saw Alec and Isabelle, and then hurt beyond expression as her eyes landed on Jace.

For a second, the two stared at each other, painfully and disbelievingly.

"Clary," he whispered. She was just as miserable as he was.

And she was right there. Right there in front of him, tangible and real.

He was the first to move, snapping out of the shocked state and leaping from his chair. Isabelle's hand snatched out and grabbed his wrist in a vise-like grip.

"Don't do this, Jace," Alec warned. "You're just going to hurt both of you even more."

"Let me go!" he yelled, ripping his wrist from Isabelle. Outside, Clary had adopted a frightened and immensely sad expression and was scampering away, dodging between pedestrians. "Clary!"

He burst out the door, knocking a cup of coffee from a couple's hand. The people in the shop stared at the sudden outburst.

"Oh no," sighed Alec.

"He won't catch her," Isabelle said, digging out her purse. "Not with so many people blocking the way."

She paid for the spilled coffee, and the siblings left the shop.

…

"I can't do this anymore."

Clary sat with her feet crossed, her hands clenched in the carpet curls. Simon was sprawled on the couch, fiddling with her various stuffed animals.

"You were doing something before?" He asked. "What, moping?"

She sent him a withering glare. "I can't take this. I just can't stand being in the same city with him anymore, knowing he's somewhere out there. You know I saw him today."

"I know," Simon said, making Mr. Teddy poke Ms. Cow's udders. "Izzy told me. He's not doing so well either Clary."

That was undeniable. She remembered how ghostly his eyes looked. She had even seen the bags under his eyes from a distance. Her fists clenched. "I can't do this. I just can't."

"Clary?" Simon looked up, alarmed.

"That's it! I'll move to Atlanta."

"You'll what?" Mr. Teddy and Ms. Cow dropped from his hands.

Clary sprang up and dashed down the hall, flinging open random closets and cupboards until she found what she was looking for. Grabbing them from their dusty corner, she jogged back to the living room and triumphantly displayed her neglected cardboard boxes.

"Ta-da!"

Simon stared at her for a second before he closed his eyes for a really long time. "Are you on drugs?"

"Come on, Simon. This is perfect. This will make everything all right again."

"By moving?" He shook his head, exasperated. "Do you even know where you'll go in Atlanta? Your parents are long gone, and it's not like your dead Aunt Madeline is just going to pop out of her coffin and welcome you into her arms. This is the only place you know. New York is the only state you've grown up in. Your whole life is here."

"My whole life was here." She dropped her boxes. "I have no chance here anymore. You know that. Every company that interviews me will see that big, fat indicator that I've – I've stolen the software! It's on my permanent record now and no one will hire me again. New York has nothing to offer me anymore."

He continued staring at her, long and hard, as if he could somehow deter her from going, but she remained resolute.

"I'm sorry, Simon," she said. "I am. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way, and I'm sorry that my leaving is going to make you jobless, but you can still find employment here. I can't."

"You know," he said slowly, after a while. "Everything will still be on your record even if you move to Atlanta. They could just search you up online."

Clary shrugged. "I could start over with a new identity."

He snickered. "And call yourself what? Bella Swan?"

"That was a one time obsession!"

He grinned but then grew sober. "You don't need to do this, Clary."

But she did. There was no way she could survive in New York any longer. It held too many bitter memories, too much sorrow. Sure, the best times of her life were spent here, but every place she looked was also tinged with sadness of some past mistake or heartbreak. She would miss New York City – its sights, smells, and the hustle-bustle even ongoing at night – and her friends, but she would keep in touch, and she would visit.

Because New York City was still home and would always be home, even if she couldn't love it the same way she did before.

And she would miss Jace.

Clary squatted down and began stuffing things into the box at random. Thinking of him hurt, but it no longer felt like agony wrecking her body. She didn't even find herself angry at him anymore. He did what he did. That was the truth, and it was time she accepted him for who he truly was. Fame, money, and power meant more to him than she did.

It didn't change who he had once been to her or the experiences they'd had together. Those she would treasure forever because they had taught her important lessons and had changed who she was. He had taught her to love and to trust someone again, had reminded her of what it was like to fall in love, and had saved her life. Even if it was just a pretense, she could at least pretend he was that person somewhere deep inside.

But all the same, he had betrayed her, and that was something she could never ever forget. To have someone's complete trust and then stab them in the back with it, that was beyond cruel. It was unforgivable.

And it was Jace.

She didn't realize she was softly crying until spots of dark brown appeared on the box flaps. Clary touched a hand to her cheek and pulled it back, wet.

"Well," Simon said, making her jump; she'd been so absorbed in her thoughts that she'd forgotten he was still there, watching her. "If you're going to insist on moving to Atlanta, I'm going to have to come, you know."

"What?"

"I mean," he continued, picking up her stuffed animals and tossing them in the box. "You'll be completely and utterly lost there without me. What are best friends for anyway?"

Clary stared as he began packing as well. "You know this isn't going to stop me from going."

He didn't look up. "I know."

He wasn't serious, was he?

"Come on, Simon. I can't just take New York away from you too," she pleaded. "Besides, you have Isabelle."

There. That would do it.

But all Simon said was, "Love is pain."

Huh, Clary thought. Love was pain.

…

Jace was sitting crosslegged on his couch, dressed only in sweats when Isabelle burst through the door, panting and eyes wild. In one hand, she clutched her phone so hard it looked like she was going to hurl it at the nearest object.

"Izzy," Alec sat up from his reclined position on the floor. He had been staying over for the past few days to help Jace cope with insomnia. "Is everything okay?"

Isabelle shook her phone wildly. "No! Everything is not okay. Clary's moving!"

Jace dropped the packet he had been using to prep for the upcoming meeting with customers. He felt himself grow numb all over. "She's moving," he repeated listlessly.

"Are you serious?" Alec asked, incredulous. "To where?"

"Simon just called me," she said, still slightly panting. "I ran over here as fast as I could. He said she was moving to Atlanta. Probably to avoid the whole potential lawsuit or something. Maybe she'll even move out of the country. Who knows?"

"Oh, God," Alec said softly.

Jace sat there, staring at the fallen packet. The words glared back at him, the letters ugly, dark, and accusing. It was all the packet's fault. All because of some stupid meetings. Stupid software.

"Simon even tried the whole guilt trick of 'I'm going where you go' but it didn't even work," Isabelle lamented. "Now he's going too. How am I supposed to survive? Go with him?" Sarcasm dripped into her words. "Hell, let's all move then."

There was a brief silence.

"I can't feel my toes," Jace mumbled.

Isabelle stalked right in front of him and poked a long finger at his chest. He was so numb it barely registered.

"This has gone way too far, Jace," she said, her eyes narrowing. "You better fix this."

He looked down at her nail, sharp, purple, and manicured, and followed it up to her eyes. And he saw the truth.

It wasn't anyone's fault, but his.

Simon's such a good friend(:

Next chapter's the last one!

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