Mazes Of Red

CHAPTER 38 : Fractured Hearts

RED HOODS POV

I needed to clear my head the night of heavy emotions had taken it toll.

Walking through the familiar streets I found myself in the rundown park Lauren and i used to hang out in as kids.

The swings creaked in the breeze, a ghostly reminder of simpler times.

I ponder outside the park my hands gripped to the cold metal railings that imprisoned the park an ironic epiphany to the current  trapped feelings in my head.

With a heavy sigh  I pushed the gate open the old metal groaning in protest as it swung wide.

I walked down the familiar path weaving  through play equipment my boots crunching on the gravel as I made my way deeper into the park.

backed up against the railings  at the back of the park like a forgotten animal was an old wooden bench the slats weathered and worn by its constant use and abuse by both weather and human.

I lowered myself onto the bench the wood creaking softly under my weight.

The bench was  cold against my back and helped to ground me in the present  even as my mind wandered.

Here under the vast expanse of the night sky the world felt both infinitely large and crushingly small.

I was surrounded by the life of the city yet completely alone with my thoughts wrestling with the storm of emotions that had driven me here.

Those thought  drifted to Lauren—her tears, her resilience, and the way she still managed to care for me despite everything.

I knew I had to make things right, but how could I ever explain who I truly was? How could I tell her I was Jason, the boy she had once loved and lost?

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Back at the safe house  I stripped off my gear and stepped into the shower.

The hot water was a welcome relief washing away the grime and tension of the night.

As I stood under the stream, I couldn't stop thinking about Lauren. Her face, her voice, her pain—they were all etched into my mind.

I knew I had to tell her the truth eventually.   She deserved to know who I was, to understand why I had come back into her life.

But I also needed to make sure I could protect her from the dangers that came with being associated with me.

After my shower I dressed quickly and sat down at my small, cluttered desk. I pulled out a notebook, the pages filled with notes and plans.

I needed to find a way to bridge the gap between us, to show her that I trusted her without putting her in danger.

I picked up a pen, the ink flowing smoothly as I began to write.

Apologies, explanations, promises—they all poured out onto the paper.

It was a start, a way to organise my thoughts and figure out how to approach her.

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LAURENS POV

The next morning I woke up with a pounding headache the telltale sign of too much wine and too many emotions the night before.

My eyes felt swollen from crying, and my mouth was dry as sandpaper.