In the beautiful scenery of the lawn, amidst the romantic and solemn atmosphere, the engagement ceremony concluded with blessings from all the elders of the Fritz family. Tom reached out and embraced Agnes. Agnes knew this was a farewell hug. She felt touched, cherished the moment, and was extremely happy, but more than anything, she felt reluctant.
Every second at that moment, she wished it could last an hour, feeling the warmth of his embrace, listening to his heartbeat, and smelling his faint scent. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her smile as radiant as a painting.
Applause erupted around them, everyone blessing them. After lunch, the guests gradually left. Tom began packing his luggage. Agnes stood quietly in his bedroom, watching him silently. She appeared calm and gentle. Though she had a thousand words in her heart, she remained silent.
“Agnes, thank you,” Tom Fritz said with relief as he looked at her again.
Meeting his gentle and profound gaze, Agnes smiled slightly, “Be careful during your experiments and make sure to get enough sleep. Health comes first.”
She knew his departure was inevitable. His teacher had called him several times already.
“Yes,” Tom replied.
“Thanks for your concern. You really feel like a sister to me now.”
Sister… He only saw her as a sister. This made Agnes more aware of her position. She smiled slightly and said nothing more.
Tom closed his suitcase.
“They will drive me to the airport. Do you want to take my car back?”
“Sure.”
Then they went downstairs together to say goodbye to the elders.
“Tom, make sure to visit Agnes often when you have time. It’s okay if you don’t visit us,” Grandma said with a kind smile.
“Try to set a date for the wedding soon.”
Tom looked gently at the girl beside him.
Agnes smiled and said, “Grandma, even when Tom is not here, I will visit you on his behalf.”
“Good, it’s a deal!”
The elderly woman particularly liked her because she reminded her of Jane when she was young-gentle, obedient, and sensible.
They didn’t chat for long because Tom had a flight at four in the afternoon. Considering travel time, it was almost time to leave.
In the expensive Volvo, Jeffery drove along a route that passed by the apartment but also led to the airport. Tom and Agnes sat in the back seat in silence without any more words of thanks.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy; for Agnes, it was slightly sorrowful as she felt a pain in her chest. She took out a bag from her purse and handed it to him.
“These are the gifts from last night and today. I’m returning them to you. Your mother’s bracelet is also inside.”
Tom looked at her gently.
“No need to return them; keep them.”
Their family was wealthy; these might not mean much to him but were quite valuable to Agnes.
“They’re too valuable.”
“Keep them; don’t mention it again.”
Clearly, Tom Fritz did not want to waste time on this matter.
“Wear the bracelet; my mother might call you again. If you have time and it’s convenient for you, visit them sometimes. It could be a change of environment for relaxation. Once things stabilize on my end, I will tell them the truth as soon as possible so it won’t trouble you anymore.”
Agnes sat beside him, holding her breath as she watched every expression on his face.
Soon, the car stopped at the entrance of the community.
“Take care,” Agnes said to him.
“You too, goodbye.”
With reluctance in her eyes, she got out of the car without looking back and walked towards the community gate with tears blurring her vision.
Holding the steering wheel, Tom glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him turning his gaze out of the window with a faint sadness between his brows. He didn’t rush to start the vehicle as if waiting for something…