Love After Leaving: No Regret (Agnes and Raymond) novel Chapter 60

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Chapter 60 The Boy at St Austen

That boy had been Neal.

Agnes’s mind drifted to her second visit.

She hadn’t found Raymond the first time, so she’d come back weeks later.

She’d been staring at a photo of Raymond on her phone–a picture she’d gotten from her mother. He looked the same as when they were kids, only taller, more handsome.

That sun–drenched, radiant face had been carved into her heart since childhood.

She’d recognized him then–the boy from the falling air conditioner. It had felt like fate.

This time, she was going to tell him everything: the coincidence, the rescue, and ask if he still remembered the little girl who used to follow him everywhere like a shadow.

She’d walked to his building, brimming with hope. Near the stairwell, she heard girls screaming.

Through a knot of cheering students emerged a boy and a girl, side by side.

They looked like the leads of a campus romance drama. Impossibly matched.

Agnes had frozen. There was Raymond–her Raymond–with another girl tucked against his side like she belonged there.

He’d walked right past Agnes without a flicker of recognition. Her heart had plummeted.

She’d heard girls squealing around them. “The golden couple of St. Austen! I’m going to pass out!”

“Someone cast them in a drama! Take my money!”

“Our campus prince and our campus belle–together! A match made in heaven!”

Agnes’s chest had ached. Her eyes had burned.

She’d watched Raymond tenderly pat the girl’s head and pull her close.

Agnes had clutched their childhood diary to her chest, turned around, and walked away without ever approaching him.

She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten home. Only that she’d been devastated, and that she’d decided never to bother Raymond again.

The Duy at St Austel

The memory dissolved. Agnes found herself back in the banquet hall, Neal watching her wi quiet smile.

She exhaled softly. “So… you knew me long before I knew you.”

Neal said, “Agnes, I’d say we’re old acquaintances at this point.”

Agnes smiled. If she could turn back time, she wished she had never gone to St. Austen at all. Or never met Raymond.

She raised her glass. “Thank you for taking me to the infirmary that day. I looked for afterward, but you’d already left.”

Neal clinked his glass against hers. “I know. I went back, and you were gone. I’ve always regretted that.”

you

The truth was, Neal had never stopped regretting it. If he could rewind time, he would have asked for her name, her number–anything.

Fate had given them chances to meet, and every time, he’d let her slip through his fingers.

Neal raised his glass in return, and they both took a sip.

Raymond, who had ostensibly been engrossed in conversation with Hillary and others, had been tracking Agnes and Neal from the corner of his eye the entire time. The anger inside him was reaching critical mass.

Neal smiled. “So… does this mean we’re officially friends now?”

Agnes beamed. “Of course. If you ever need anything; just ask.”

Neal’s smile deepened. “Actually, can I ask you for something right now?”

Agnes tilted her head, curious. “Sure. What is it?”

“Could you stop calling me ‘Mr. Ruell? Since we’re friends now, use my name. Just ‘Neal‘ is fine. And I’d like to call you Agnes. Would that be all right?”

Agnes almost laughed. She’d been expecting something much more serious.

“Of course! We’re friends now. Neal–here, let me toast you again.”

Neal looked genuinely happy. They clinked glasses and drank.

He didn’t press her about why she’d been at St. Austen, or why she’d left in tears.

18:15 wea, Jun 17

Chapter 60 The Boy at St Austen

Finishe

She hadn’t volunteered an explanation, and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He could guess. It almost certainly involved Raymond.

Neal said, “By the way, the masked man who attacked Rebecca.

“He’s no ordinary thug. He moved like someone with professional training. My people chased him, but he got away.”

Agnes’s face tightened. “Oh, God. A professional? You don’t think it’s… some kind of assassin?”

Neal said, “Don’t worry. I’m still investigating, and I’ve got people watching over you and Rebecca. You’ll be safe.”

Agnes gazed at him, grateful. “Thank you, Neal. You’ve helped me so many times now.”

every time. Neal said it was nothing but in his heart, he was thinking, I’d do it

He cut her steak into bite–sized pieces, peeled her shrimp, and set everything neatly on her plate.

Agnes ate happily. It had been a very, very long time since anyone had treated her this well.

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“So, she literally poached someone else’s boyfriend? That’s revolting!”

A woman grabbed Hillary’s arm, bristling with righteous fury.

“Hillary, how long are you going to keep making excuses for them? When will sacrificing yourself?”

you stop

The speaker was a woman named Gabrielle Reaves–one of Hillary’s university ride–or–dies

She was one of those sidekicks who orbited the campus belle to feel important.

Gabrielle wasn’t especially talented herself, but she had ambition. Staying in Hillary’s orbit meant access to a better world.

She knew Hillary was Raymond’s “savior.”

She knew Raymond, sentimental as he was, would never fully abandon Hillary.

By staying close to Hillary, Gabrielle hoped to snag some crumbs of success. So, Gabrielle had kept up the friendship long after graduation.

She knew most of the story.

The gossip–hungry women zeroed in on Gabrielle immediately.

“Gabrielle, what do you mean? You know something?”

Hillary grabbed Gabrielle’s arm in a show of reluctance.

“Gabrielle, please. It’s all in the past. I’m fine. Seeing them happy makes me happy. Really. I’ve moved on.”

Gabrielle shook her head fiercely. “You’re too soft. You handed the love of your life to that scheming little witch, and now you’re here giving them your blessing? Unbelievable.”

1. d. leaned in, and dropped her voice to a conspiratorial hush

is a homewrecker. She swooped in the second Hillary and Raymond

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