I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 113

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Mark stopped in front of a sleek black Porsche Cayenne. As he loaded their luggage into the trunk, Gavin opened the passenger door for Sophie and whispered, "It's my mom's car."

Sophie glanced at him without a word and slipped into the seat, her suspicions growing by the second.

When she had helped him car-shop, he had asked if she liked the Cayenne.

She had joked, "Sure. Buy me one when you're rich."

Gavin ended up financing a white Jeep Cherokee for around forty thousand dollars.

It was a gas guzzler, and the monthly payments weren't cheap.

Sophie had actually worried about his finances back then. Between the car loan, his rent, and his living expenses, she figured he was living paycheck to paycheck.

He hadn't been honest with her. At the very least, he had lied about his family's wealth.

Noticing her silence, Gavin reached for her hand. Unlike before, her fingers were icy.

He studied her profile. She was staring out the window, completely shutting him out.

As he pulled back, he caught Mark glancing at them through the rearview mirror. Mark offered a discreet smile, prompting Gavin to swallow his explanations.

Instead, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and began pointing out landmarks, playing the role of a tour guide.

Sophie simply listened. She didn't ask questions, and she didn't interrupt.

As the SUV pulled into an exclusive gated community, Sophie let out a quiet sigh. Her earlier anxiety hadn't been unwarranted.

She didn't know Philadelphia well, but the manicured landscaping and imposing architecture spoke for themselves. Real estate here cost millions of dollars.

Gavin was notoriously picky about his food. His casual wardrobe consisted of high-end designer brands. He had no concept of budgeting, buying her limited-edition gifts and flying out to see her on a whim.

She just hadn't connected the dots.

Plenty of young women at her company blew their modest paychecks on designer bags. Gwen used to spend every dime she made on clothes, calling it an "investment."

Sophie had assumed Gavin was the same—a guy from a comfortable middle-class family whose parents subsidized his breezy lifestyle.

Perhaps because he had never lied to her about anything else, she had believed his narrative and ignored the glaring red flags.

Mark dropped them off at the elevator bank and drove away.

Gavin swiped a keycard, and the doors slid shut. With just the two of them in the elevator, Gavin finally said, "When I graduated high school, my mom and her friend started a company. It was just a tiny startup back then."