Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 862

Ryder's voice was as cool and detached as ever. "I don't care about these worldly perceptions, and on that front, I'm just like you." Then he turned his sharp gaze on Alyssa.

"What are you getting at, Ryder?" Alyssa faced him, her expression a mix of confusion and concern.

"Mom, you once chased love against all odds, turning a blind eye to the wagging tongues and risking the disdain of the so-called decent society. Why then are you trying to shackle me with those very chains of conventionality now?"

Alyssa had never realized that her typically reticent son could argue with such eloquence.

"Do you think I was a rebel without a cause, Ryder? That I succeeded in my pursuit of so-called love? If I had, you wouldn't even be here. If you're so keen on comparing our situations, then take a good, hard look at where my choices got me. Don't you think my life turned out to be a tragedy? I've lived unhappily, loving without being loved in return, and the only person who ended up tortured and in agony was me. Ryder, you're my son. I don't want you to end up like me, unhappy for a lifetime."

"If you really loved me, you wouldn't show such blatant favoritism toward Uncle Jared, letting him have his slice of happiness. At least now, I have the right to pursue Agnes, right? I should be able to compete with him fairly, but you've always been in Jared's corner."

"Compete fairly? What makes you think you're in any position to compete with Jared fairly? Look at this kid, their kid. This kid is the eternal bond between them, an unbreakable tether. You're heading towards a dead-end, Ryder. Why can't you see that?"

Ryder remained unfazed. "Mom, wasn't Uncle Jared your unbreakable tether with your lover back in the day? Did you win?"

His words were calm, but they cut through the air like a knife, striking right at Alyssa's heart.

Indeed, Jared had been her her ultimate gamble, but she had lost miserably.

Ryder's words tore open old wounds, and Alyssa turned ashen, her body trembling slightly. "How can you speak to me like this, Ryder? I thought all along it was because of your resentment towards your uncle but deep down, it's me you resent, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't you?"

Alyssa became sharp and quite unlike her usual gentle demeanor. She stood up, her voice rising. "I know you've always felt overshadowed by Jared in the Whitfield family. On the surface, you seem indifferent, holding your uncle up as a role model. But deep down, you've been comparing yourself to him in every aspect. You value everything he values. You're interested in everything he's interested in. So naturally, you've placed a pedestal on the woman he loves, too. Your obsession with Agnes-is it really because you love her, or is it simply because she's the woman your uncle loves?"