Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 652

After dinner, Grandma went back to her room to sleep.

Meanwhile, Jared was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes.

Agnes and Nocturne were outside in the yard, building a snowman.

From his spot at the sink, Jared had a perfect view of the winter scene outside.

Moonlight sprinkled over the snow-covered yard, making it sparkle and shine.

It was as if the ground wasn't covered in snow, but rather, millions of dazzling diamonds that mesmerized him.

The figures of the two people in the yard, one big and one small, bustling around, felt like a dream.

No, for the past four years, he had been too afraid to dream like this.

Jared felt as though his heart was filling up, ready to overflow.

The snow outside began to fall heavier. Agnes led Nocturne inside the house.

Jared handed them each a hot water to warm their hands.

Agnes and Nocturne, clutching their hot water bottles, headed to the balcony to watch the snowfall.

The balcony was spacious, and it was connected to the living room and had floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides.

The transparent roof was also covered with a thick layer of snow.

Snowflakes fell one by one onto the window, gradually accumulating.

One could even hear the sound of falling snow, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

They each pulled up a small chair and sat in front of the window, watching the snowfall.

Jared, looking at their backs, felt like he was watching two children.

He also grabbed a small chair and joined them.

Jared sat next to Nocturne, then breathed on the window and drew the shape of a birthday cake.

"Happy Birthday, Summer," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Jared," Nocturne responded, clearly pleased.

Hearing Nocturne refer to Jared as "Mr. Jared", Agnes felt a pang of sadness.

Nocturne knew that Jared was his father, but he never called him "Dad".

Nocturne was a very smart child.

No one had ever explained the concept of a father to him, but Agnes knew that he understood.

But he had never asked why he didn't have a father.

Last time, when she overheard his conversation with Jared, she found out that not only did he have a concept of a father, but also guessed that his mom and dad were divorced. Sometimes, this child's understanding made her heart ache.

Agnes added a few candles to the cake on the window, then told Nocturne, "Make a wish."

The staff at the cake shop had forgotten to put candles on the cake earlier.

So Nocturne hadn't made a wish.

Of course, Nocturne himself didn't mind.

Nocturne laughed, "Mom, making wishes is for children. If I really have a wish, I'll make it happen when I grow up. Nothing can be achieved just by wishing."

His words left Agnes a little stunned.

She always knew her son was mature for his age, but she hadn't realized the depth of his understanding.

Jared, from the side, quirked a smile, "Making a wish is part of the birthday tradition. Actually, there are some wishes that can be fulfilled. For instance, before you're able to do it yourself, I can help." Nocturne seemed to consider this seriously, then said, "Then my wish is for us three to celebrate my birthday together every year. Is that possible?"

Jared was taken aback, then said, "Of course, I promise I'll be there."

Nocturne turned to look at Agnes, who also said, "Mom promises you too."

It was clear that Nocturne was pleased, but he was also starting to look tired.

He slowly leaned against Jared's shoulder, drifting off to sleep.

Agnes started to rise, "I'll take him to his room to sleep."

But Jared held onto her arm, "Can we stay like this for a little longer?"