Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)

Chapter 980

Agnes had never seen this side of Ryder before.

Yet he didn't come down. Just stood there, motionless, watching the two of them.

That's what set Ryder apart from Jared.

Jared, when pushed to the brink, would lash out, he'd take action. Even if it meant grabbing her like a ruffian, heedlessly, just holding on without a thought for the consequences.

But Ryder was different.

He was always so collected.

He was accustomed to waiting, waiting for Agnes to make her choice.

Agnes wondered if Ryder was absolutely certain about the allure of the conditions he'd proposed to her. In any case, he was handing all the decisions back to her.

Ryder wouldn't come down, Agnes knew.

But it was precisely this that sent chills down her spine.

He stood above it all, looking down like some deity overseeing his domain. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

At this moment, Agnes felt as if she was suspended on a tightrope.

The twin burdens she carried were suffocating her.

Jared's actions completely disrupted the balance Agnes had painstakingly established, leaving her feeling as if she was hovering over an abyss with no way to turn back.

Agnes averted her gaze. She forced herself to appear more composed, more heartless.

Agnes' voice was almost a roar, "Jared, can you just stop? What's the point of all this? I don't love you anymore. Even if you forced me to stay, my feelings won't change. Just look at yourself – you've lost all sense of dignity. Can't we leave each other with some respect?"

She used a tone laced with humiliation. Because Agnes knew Jared well enough to be certain he would let go if provoked.

She was deliberately infuriating him.

Agnes had intended to part ways amicably, to leave with grace. To leave a peaceful end for both of them.

But that was now impossible.

She would use this last chance to extinguish any lingering hope in Jared.

Agnes believed that her only mistake four years ago was leaving Jared with hope and resentment.

That was why he had suffered so much longing.

Agnes didn't want him to suffer, so she had to cut all ties.

But Jared didn't let go.

"Agnes, if you're gone, what do I care for dignity? I don't need anything else, I just need you!"

With those words, Jared cupped Agnes' face and kissed her fiercely.

In that instant, Agnes was almost dazed.

Her mind kept replaying Jared's last sentence.

I don't need anything else, I just need you!

Passersby in the airport terminal stopped in their tracks at the scene.

People began to clap spontaneously, some even whistled.

Jared was utterly oblivious to them.

Agnes pushed hard, but she couldn't break free.

Jared's kiss was violent and domineering, as if he sought to consume her very soul.

But this kiss wasn't the sweet or reluctant kind shared between lovers.

It was laden with painful resignation and a final act of defiance.

In the end, Agnes barely had the strength to struggle.

Her reason seemed to crumble bit by bit.

Her mind, oxygen-starved, seemed to forget everything.

Including the fact that Ryder was standing on the second floor, watching it all unfold.

It was a long while before Jared finally released Agnes.

Her lips felt numb with pain, yet her mind slowly regained clarity.

She seemed to want to make one last effort to resist, but Jared didn't care about any of that.

He scooped Agnes up in his arms, and carried her straight out of the airport.