I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 105

The moment Sophie realized Gavin's "surprise gift" was a year-long membership to a boxing gym, she wanted a refund.

Her cycle had just ended two days ago. Watching an instructor effortlessly sweep a student's legs out from under him sent a phantom ache through her spine.

"Learning how to fight isn't just about staying fit. It's about self-defense," Gavin said, dead serious.

Sophie stared at him. "Are you worried Eileen is going to come after me again? She won't. She got what she wanted. I'm not a threat to her anymore."

"Then just think of it as keeping me company. I want to bulk up a bit so I can protect you."

Sophie laughed, poking his bicep. "You're plenty strong. You don't need any more practice."

Gavin shook his head, though a smile played on his lips. "Flattery won't work on me. I'm Coach Gilmore now. Go change."

He waited until she vanished into the women's locker room before heading to change himself.

The person tailing Sophie was either Eileen or Luke. The thought of that bastard still harassing her even after getting married made Gavin clench his fists.

He had business trips and late-night meetings. He couldn't act as her bodyguard 24/7.

Luke had caused enough chaos in her life, and Gavin was sick of seeing her dragged back into that mess.

If she learned some basic combat skills, at least she'd have a fighting chance if someone ever cornered her.

At that exact moment, Harold was sitting on a train bound for Seattle.

He hadn't booked a flight or an express ticket, opting instead for a slow, rattling sleeper train.

The endless tunnels plunged the carriage into pitch blackness before bursting back into the blinding daylight.

This was the exact route Sarah had taken. He couldn't fathom how she had survived this grueling journey with a newborn baby, let alone how she had endured the agonizing thirty years that followed.

Just yesterday, he had tracked down Sean Sullivan, Sarah's older brother.

Armed with an address from his investigator, Harold had flown straight to him.

The old factory Sean used to work at had gone bankrupt decades ago. After bouncing between odd jobs, the man had been remarkably difficult to trace.

When Harold had finally stood on his doorstep and introduced himself, Sean had greeted him with a brutal right hook to the jaw. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face here."

But her name became a permanent curse in that house; no one was allowed to speak of her.

Sarah never came back. When their father was on his deathbed, he explicitly banned her from visiting, claiming she was dead to him.

Their mother had snuck out to call her, but by the time Sarah arrived, he was already gone. She was barred from the funeral, only allowed to kneel quietly at the cemetery in the dead of night.

Sean's voice had dripped with venom, making Harold's chest ache violently.

He had no idea the unimaginable hell she had suffered.

Hearing that she had raised their daughter completely alone, refusing to ever marry, filled Harold with a suffocating blend of agony and awe.

But if she was pregnant, why hadn't she told him? Why hadn't she come to him?

He had broken up with her in early August, and she had packed her bags that same night. But she didn't show up in Oak Creek until late September. Where had she been for nearly two months, and what on earth had happened to her?

He had to find her. He needed to hear her say it out loud: Sophie was his flesh and blood.

Thanks to his investigator, Harold already knew Sarah's daily routine down to the minute.