Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 912

When did Jared's standards hit rock bottom? Or was it that he relished the tangled web of more-than-friendship feelings with Valeria?

Every time Agnes raised an issue, Jared would deflect, dragging her relationship with Ryder into the fray.

Agnes was done explaining. Communication between them had broken down completely.

Rubbing her temples, Agnes sighed, "Jared, I'm exhausted. Can we not fight right now?"

Jared, pressing the issue in a rare display of aggression, shot back, "Looks to me like you're feeling guilty."

That was the last straw for Agnes. She exploded.

"Guilty? Yeah, Jared, I'm guilty. Guilty for even considering going down this road again after four years. I'm filled with regret and, honestly, I'm relieved we didn't get remarried. Everything between us has been a nightmare. From now on, I won't question your life, and I expect you to stay out of mine. We're done. That's it."

With those words, Agnes turned on her heel and left. Unbeknownst to them, Mamie and Ivan were in the diner, ears practically pressed against the glass, listening in.

Their hearts twisted with each word they overheard. How did things between these two get so bad?

Ivan had sensed some tension, but he thought they were just going through a rough patch, something minor they could overcome. He hoped the evening might clear the air, but instead, it seemed to solidify the rift.

As Agnes stormed out, Ivan intercepted her, "Agnes, can't we talk this out?"

"Ivan, there's nothing left to say. Sorry to bail on dinner, but I need to go," Agnes replied, eager to escape.

She couldn't stand another second there. Her relationship with Jared had hit a dead end, and the nature of their issues had changed. She felt powerless to fix them.

And so, Agnes left.

Mamie approached Jared, concern etched on her face, "Are you really not going to chase after her? You went through all that trouble to get her back for this?" Jared's usually composed face twisted in pain. After some thought, he stood and went after her.

He admitted to himself that he'd been too heated in the moment.

But Ryder was closing in on Agnes, relentlessly pursuing her at work, and Jared was torn with too many reservations.

Because Ryder was his brother-his own flesh and blood.

By the time Jared got outside, Agnes' car was nowhere in sight.

Agnes was driving faster than she ever had, overtaking car after car with laser focus, as if speed could erase the turmoil in her mind.

"Love isn't everything," she kept telling herself, but her heart was slow to let go.

She decided to leave the unresolved to time. What happened after was simple and fast.

Agnes moved out of Maplewood Manor and into Pritchard Mansion.

While she was packing her things, Jared stood by the doorway, not a word exchanged.

When she left, they even said goodbye-civilly.

Her routine became work, work, and more work.

Sometimes at night, she'd video call Nocturne. He was doing well, with chatty Esther by his side a small comfort to Agnes.

It was a busy time. A major earthquake had struck Goldfield Heights, and Agnes was there, on the ground, covering the story.