I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 119

By the time she hung up with Gwen, her phone was overheating.

Sophie opened her chat with Gavin. No new messages. He unfailingly sent a good night text at 10:30 PM every night. He was probably dead on his feet and already asleep.

She hugged the stuffed rabbit he had bought her, rubbed her nose against its floppy ear, and drifted off to sleep.

Across town, Gavin was sitting at his desk, scrolling through his private "IfOnly" account.

None of his friends knew about it. Creating it had been a desperate leap of faith.

A year ago in the spring, he was in a cab heading to a college reunion. Trapped in the gridlock traffic, he stared blankly out the window.

Through the misty rain, he spotted a figure walking out of a bakery. She had no umbrella. She stood on the curb holding a tiny cake box, staring vacantly at the rain, framed by the flashing neon lights behind her.

Gavin wiped the condensation from the glass and snapped a photo of the heartbreaking scene.

It was the face that had haunted him for years. She was just as breathtaking as he remembered, though the sheer devastation in her eyes shattered him.

Believing he'd never see her again, finding her after seven years felt like a miracle. He demanded the driver pull over, bolted out of the car, and sprinted through the rain toward her.

Just as he reached her, she turned sharply. Her arm clipped his, and the cake box slipped from her fingers, splattering onto the pavement.

Gavin practically begged for forgiveness, cursing his clumsiness.

Sophie stared at the ruined dessert, then slowly looked up at him. Her gaze lingered on his face for three agonizing seconds before she looked away.

He thought she recognized him. He had opened his mouth to say they were alumni, but her features hardened back into a mask of grief, and she walked away without a single word.

He rushed into the bakery, pointed frantically at the mess on the ground, and demanded an exact replica. Grabbing the new box, he sprinted after her.

Her clothes were soaked, her long dark hair heavy with rain.

He held his umbrella over her and handed over the cake. When their fingers brushed, her skin was like ice.

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