Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 827

Ryder strolled over, a lazy smile playing on his lips. "No sweat, Agnes. It's not like it's the first time I've seen you tipsy."

At his words, Agnes could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Silence hung between them, thick and uneasy, and Agnes found herself at a loss for words. Despite the discomfort, Ryder remained steadfastly by her side.

Feeling the need to break the silence, Agnes grasped at the first topic that came to mind. "You walked away from med school to take over the family business. Are you happier now?"

Ryder leaned against the balcony's glass door, arms crossed, his stance giving off an air of nonchalance.

"I'm not happy, Agnes. Not at all," he admitted without flinching.

Curiosity got the better of her. "Then why do it? Why give up your dreams for business?"

Why take on the Thomas Group and fight for shares in the Tim Group if it didn't bring joy? These were the puzzles Agnes couldn't solve.

Ryder's gaze settled on her face, intense and searching. "For years, I've been wondering, Agnes. Why did you fall for my uncle? Why choose him first, and then again? We spent so much time together in Manhattan, as much as you did with him, yet you never really opened up to me. I'm just curious what it was about his life that drew you in. I wanted to walk his path, live his life, to replace an answer for myself."

Her heart sank at his words. It was indeed all because of her. She felt the weight of his life decisions on her shoulders, a burden too heavy to bear.

Overwhelmed, Agnes directed her gaze downwards, replaceing sudden interest in the floor beneath her, unable to bear the intensity of Ryder's gaze. "You didn't have to give up your dreams for my sake, Ryder. It's not worth it," she said softly.

Ryder chuckled, a sound that seemed to hold a touch of melancholy. "You seem to have forgotten that I left the Whitfield family and decided to join the Novy Medical Team because of you." She was taken aback, memories flooding back.

Yes, it was at the Whitfield Manor, in the garden where they had talked about dreams. Ryder had been uncertain whether to return to the Thomas family, which would have allowed him to join the prestigious Novy Medical Team.

Back then, everyone in the Whitfield family was against it - everyone but Agnes, who had encouraged him wholeheartedly.

Five years had passed since then, in the blink of an eye.

So much had happened, time blurring the details.

But within those blurred memories, much had changed.

Like Ryder, standing before her, no longer the innocent and distant youth of five years ago.

Agnes managed a wry smile. "Ryder, I should never have entered your life."

He looked at her, his voice a whisper of the past. "Do you remember our freshman year, the campus film festival? We all packed into the auditorium to absorb the spirit of cinema. Do you remember the movie they showed?"

Her mind drifted back. "I remember, 'The Shawshank Redemption.' It left a lasting impression."

"And there's a line in that movie," Ryder mused, "about how some birds aren't meant to be caged because their feathers are just too bright. But when they fly away, the world seems duller for their absence. To me, Agnes, you're that bird. You stopped in my world for a moment, and when you flew away, the color went with you. It's heartbreaking and yet, I'm grateful for that brief visit."

Agnes lifted her gaze to meet his. "Ryder..." Words failed her, and the things she couldn't say hung heavy in the air.