The Last Hero (Villains & Monsters #2)

Chapter 23

- Mid May, 2046 (Present Day) -

Standing in front of the building never hesitated to make his heart ache with guilt.

He left the rail-yard before dawn so he could travel deep into downtown. It was a stupid decision, but Jamie was starting not to care as much anymore.

After taking a small breath to calm the mixture of emotions, he put his hood up to conceal his dark hair and walked closer to the coffee shop, standing a good enough distance away so he could watch through the large picture window without looking suspicious.

His eyes landed on the woman who was organizing tables. If his memory served right, she would hum a song every time she did so. He was so used to seeing her with colored hair. When he met her, it was purple. Then she dyed it blue. He remembered the day she told him that she did it for the gala, and to try something new. A child-like excitement glimmered in her eyes.

Now there was no dye, no bright color, just the shiny brown she was born with. If he was honest, it suited her. It was almost funny, really. Now he was the one with dyed hair. His gaze drifted to the gorgeous rose quartz crystal that hung around her neck, and the small identical ones dangling from her ears. Gifts from Luca, no doubt.

Once she disappeared into the backroom, Jamie acted, only with a few minutes to spare. He walked inside and to the front desk, not recognizing the employee there. More than likely a new-hire from the university. "What can I get you?" he asked with a bubbly smile.

"Medium strawberry smoothie," Jamie answered quietly as he put the exact amount of money on the counter. He knew most of the prices by heart. As the employee finished the transaction and started preparing the smoothie, Jamie looked up at the menu, smiling softly that some of the drinks he came up with were still there.

At least I did something good before I fucked up, he thought to himself. Something good that a few people might remember.

Once he got his smoothie, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope to hand to the employee. "Can you hand this to the woman with brown hair?"

Jamie caught the slight furrow in his brows and the hesitation, but took the letter anyway. "Sure. No problem."

"Thanks. Have a great day," he said before leaving the shop. He put his straw in the smoothie and took a small sip. Memories of his old life poured in his brain, making the ache in his chest grow. Reminiscing was so painful nowadays.

As he walked, he thought about the letter he delivered. The one he wrote and rewrote countless times well after midnight and memorized each word.

Hazel,

What I've done to you was evil and unforgivable. You were truly innocent, and you did not deserve to get involved with something so horrific. You were always welcoming, always sweet, always accepting, always caring. You never had to show me such kindness, but you did.

I'll forever hate myself for letting my own personal issues get in the way of basic decency, and thinking that it was okay to use you for something so awful, especially when you have never done anything wrong to me. There aren't enough "I'm sorry"s in the world for it, and not enough redemption to ever make up for what I've done to you.

You deserve so, so much more. You deserve everything that you were trying to give to me. You deserve a spoken apology rather than a letter. Fuck, you even deserve the chance to be rightfully angry with me face-to-face. You deserve to curse me out, hit me or even kill me.

But if you are still reading this, peach, I want you to know that I'm so relieved that someone loves you the way you deserve to be loved. I'm relieved that you're safe. I've had enough time to think about how badly I hurt you, and I regret every bit of trauma I gave you. I know it will never make it better, but I'm truly so sorry for everything.

Please stay safe and happy.