I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 100

"No need, I'm heading out right now."

Just as Luke finished his sentence, hurried footsteps pounded down the stairs.

"Luke!" Eileen's voice rang out. Wearing nothing but a thin slip dress and completely barefoot, she sprinted down the stairs and launched herself directly at Luke. She threw her arms around his neck, jumped up, and wrapped her legs tight around his waist.

"Eileen!"

"Eileen Harper!"

Harold and Luke shouted at the exact same time.

With a stony face, Luke forcefully peeled Eileen's arms off his neck. Just as Eileen was about to slip off, she planted her feet squarely on Luke's shoes and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist again.

"Luke... Eileen..."

Seeing the two of them like this, Victoria was consumed by both panic and embarrassment. At first, she was terrified Luke was going to drop Eileen onto the floor, but now, seeing her daughter act so shamelessly made her feel utterly mortified.

Harold, who had already marched over, yanked his daughter away and snapped, "What on earth do you think you're doing?!"

"I used to jump on his back all the time when we were kids," Eileen replied, utterly indifferent.

She turned her head to look back at Luke. "Luke, do you remember? When we were kids and I didn't want to walk, you'd always carry me."

"That was when we were kids." Luke took a step back.

"I want to stand on your feet and dance, exactly like you did with her." Eileen reached out to hook her arms around Luke's neck again.

Luke blocked Eileen's arms, gave a stiff bow to Harold, and said, "Mr. Harper, I'm leaving now."

Once the door clicked shut, Harold sighed heavily and asked Eileen, "Why do you have to do this? The tighter you cling to him, the more he's going to resent you."

"Then tell me, what do I have to do to make him not resent me?" Eileen looked squarely at Harold.

"Eileen, you can't force these things. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Just treat him like a friend," Harold said, trying to pull his daughter down to sit so they could have a real conversation.

But Eileen flatly refused. She grabbed the banister, fully intending to head straight back upstairs.

"Just listen to us, focus on your treatment. Once you're better, there will be endless outstanding men lining up for you to choose from," Victoria pleaded, chiming in.

"But he's the only one I want." Eileen stubbornly repeated her exact same line.

"Eileen, this blind obsession is only going to destroy you."

Harold's frown deepened sharply.

When he gave motivational speeches to his employees, he could easily paint a beautiful vision that made them work tirelessly for his goals. But with his own daughter, no amount of persuasion had any effect.

"Yeah, I've already been destroyed. So why should they get to live happily ever after?"

Sophie waited for her mother to finish drying her hair, then laid her head on her mother's lap, acting affectionately just like Mia had done with her.

It was a moment of intimacy she had desperately craved as a little girl, finally experiencing it now at the age of thirty.

"I think Gwen has a really great personality. She got along wonderfully with Mia these past few days. Has she really not dated anyone since her divorce?"

Sarah asked casually while gently stroking her daughter's hair.

"Mom, are you trying to set Gwen up with Jason?"

"Yeah." Sarah nodded. "Gwen is so lively, and Mr. Jenkins is so grounded. I think they'd make a great match."

Sophie sat up. "Mom, you're always thinking about other people, but what about you? Why have you refused to remarry all these years? I'm not a burden anymore, so I wouldn't affect your life at all. Wouldn't it be nice to find someone to spend your days with?"

"I'm used to being alone. Having someone else around would just feel weird." Sarah clearly didn't want to discuss her own life, swiftly changing the subject back. "Should we try to create a few opportunities for Gwen and Mr. Jenkins?"

"I'm totally on board with that. But, Mom, what about you?"

Sophie finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind. "Are you planning to stay single forever because of that man? Is it because you can't forget him, or because you hate him too much?"

Sarah stood up abruptly. "It has absolutely nothing to do with him. Don't ever bring him up again."

With that, she turned and walked briskly toward her bedroom.