Free Hardcore Volume 3 by Staci Hart

with trembling hands, the tension screwing tighter with each step. My stomach dropped when I saw that the surface was littered with photographs. I picked one up, unable to breathe.  
    It was me, the last time we’d run together. I was standing on the ledge with my back to him, the city stretching up in columns all around me. The sun flared between a gap in the buildings.  
    A door closed in the back of the building, snapping me back into the moment. I dropped the photo and pulled the letter out of my pocket, laying it on top of the picture before I turned and bolted out the door. I never saw him as he came out to find it there, find me gone. But I imagined it a thousand times.

    Van -
    The things I didn’t say to you that night have followed me like a ghost. I had to put them down on paper, get them out of my heart and head so I can find a way to move on.  
    I wish I’d told Jade from the start that I wouldn’t do it. That I wouldn’t lie to you, steal from you. I’ve lied my whole life, to myself more than anyone. I take what isn’t mine, but I didn’t want to do that to you. I wanted to be better than that. For you.
    I should have stayed out of your life. If I could go back and choose again, I would have left you alone. I would sacrifice the moment that we had together, that second where I was yours and you were mine, if it meant I wouldn’t have hurt you. It was the only time in my life when I’d felt safe, and I betrayed that. I betrayed you.
    There are no excuses for what I’ve done. I could have stopped it. I could have ended it. But no matter what I chose, I would lose something. And losing you was the only way out.
    They said they would kill my sister. There was no choice to make, not really.
    Everything I’ve done is for her, the stealing, the lies. Every penny I’ve made has been used to take care of her. I’m all she’s got. Jade knew exactly how to play me, and I let her.  
    Every decision I’ve made has put me where I am. It’s left me without you. It’s changed everything.
    I don’t expect your forgiveness. But I want you to know that you were right about everything. What I felt for you was real, just as real as what you felt. You are superhuman. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. You’re the person I wish I was. I wish I was good enough. I wish I hadn’t fucked up.
    But more than anything, I want to thank you. You showed me what my life could be, what it was like to be understood and respected. What it was like to feel those things myself, for you, to want to give you everything I had, everything I could to make you happy. To live up to your vision of me. For the first time in my life, I felt right, connected. When I met you, I found myself. It was like coming up for air for the first time after a lifetime of drowning.
    I’m sorry. The words will never be enough, though I’d say them a thousand times if it could make up for what I’ve done.  
    I won’t ever forget you. Not as long as I live.
    -Cory

MY PHONE RANG EARLY a few days later, ripping me from sleep. I reached for it, squinting at the screen. Icy cold shock woke me up completely when I saw it was Jade’s lawyer.
    “Fuck.”
    Erin shifted next to me as I sat, brushing my hair back from my face. I hit accept.
    “Hello?”
    “Miss James?”
    “This is.”
    “This is Dan Tostino, Jade Harris’ lawyer. We spoke last week?”
    Anxiety twisted through me. “What can I do for you?”
    “Miss Harris has asked to see you. There have been some developments in the case, and I think you’ll want to hear what she has to say.”
    I didn’t know if he was trying to scare me or if there was a legitimate reason for concern. “What’s it in regards to?”
    “That’s something you’ll need to discuss with her, Miss James, though I will say that it concerns your future. Visiting hours are until five today. Can I tell her to expect you?”
    Curiosity battled with my wariness. I wanted to know what Jade wanted, what was