Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared) novel 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.

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.