Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 648

Grandma continued, "You might think I'm getting old and dumb, and yeah, my memory isn't what it used to be. But I remember everything about you two. Times have changed, haven't they? Now, people date for years before marrying, and divorce is as common as catching cold. I don't understand what's gone wrong with your generation. But let me ask you this, Jared, do you still love Agnes?"

Jared hung his head, he felt like a child. There were many things he'd kept to himself, unable to share them with anyone else. To others, his feelings might have seemed ludicrous. But in front of Agnes' grandmother, he couldn't hide anymore.

"I've never stopped loving her," Jared admitted softly.

To Jared, 'like' seemed too weak a word to describe his feelings for Agnes. Love, in its most profound sense, was what he felt. If he had to describe it, he supposed the phrase 'sweet sorrow' might do. Over the years, Agnes had brought him countless heartaches. The disappointments, the emptiness, the suffocating pain... yet he accepted it all. He bore it willingly.

Grandma said, "If you still love Agnes, I'll help you. You've been such a good boy to me all these years, and I remember every kindness. I know I'm getting forgetful, and I'm afraid I'll forget everything one day. But before that day comes, I want to see you and my precious granddaughter together again."

Jared was taken aback. "Grandma, you..."

She chuckled, "Did you really think you could fool me? If I was healthy, would you have brought me to the city and hired a team of doctors to look after me? I know my own body. I'm not sick, Jared, I'm just getting old. The only thing I can't let go of is you two."

Jared hadn't thought grandma would be so perceptive.

"Jared," grandma said, "don't worry. Agnes has always been a good, obedient girl. She'll listen to me. Besides, you two have a son together. The two people who mean the most to her in the world are on your side. What do you have to be afraid of?"

Jared could only smile. "You're right, grandma."

"Alright then, leave here to me," grandma said. "Go outside and see if Agnes needs any help."

Jared left the kitchen. Outside, Agnes was digging up some wild greens in the snow.

The greens were a kind of wild vegetable, not cultivated in a specific place. Her Grandma had scattered the seeds randomly across the fields, so they had sprouted everywhere. And with the snow covering the ground, picking them was no easy task.

"Need a hand?" Jared asked, approaching Agnes.

She was squatting in the vegetable garden, wearing rubber boots. Her hands and feet must have been freezing.

"No, I can manage," Agnes replied, glancing at Jared.

"If you keep going at this rate, we won't have any greens for dinner until tomorrow," Jared pointed out.

He was right. She wasn't making much progress.

Agnes stood up. "Well, Mr. Whitfield, do you have a better idea?"

Jared gestured for their son Nocturne to come over. "We'll divide and conquer," he suggested. "Nocturne, you're on spotting duty. When you replace a plant, clear the snow away. I'll do the digging." Then he turned to Agnes. "You can clean and sort the greens. That way, we'll be done in no time."