I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 14

Entertaining kids was physically draining. Today hadn't just been about baking cookies; there were parent-child relay races that required a three-person team, which explained why Mia had begged her to come.

The awkward part came when another mother complimented Sophie on looking so young. When Sophie clarified that she wasn't Mia's mother, the woman gave her a knowing look and pointed to another family, saying, "It's fine, Leo's family is blended too."

Sophie had wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Explaining further would only make her look guilty, so she had just offered an awkward laugh and kept her mouth shut.

"Are you exhausted?"

Jason checked the rearview mirror again.

"A little, yeah. Kids have way too much energy. I'm getting too old to keep up."

Sophie gently rolled her neck.

"You're calling yourself old in front of me?" Jason chuckled.

Sophie laughed along with him. "Please take me home first."

"Alright," Jason replied smoothly.

He shot her another glance in the mirror before taking a left turn at the intersection.

A week later, Sophie arrived in San Francisco. The basketball tournament was being hosted at her alma mater, Jefferson University—which, naturally, was also Luke's.

Back when she was dating him, she had marveled at the fact that they had been at the same university for two years—she as a sophomore and he finishing his master's—yet had never crossed paths.

"I stopped living on campus during my first year of grad school," Luke had replied dismissively.

Sophie had felt a pang of disappointment. She had thought he would share her regret that they hadn't met sooner.

Looking back, she realized how naive she had been. Meeting earlier wouldn't have changed a thing; the ending would have been exactly the same.

The alumni tournament in San Francisco kicked off in late September and ran straight through the long fall break weekend. With three games a day, Sophie and the PR team were courtside from start to finish.

During her college days, every time there was a basketball game, the girls in her dorm would turn out in full force.

They used to joke that anyone decent-looking had been recruited for the team.

But she had never had the time. While everyone else was watching the games, she was either handing out flyers on busy streets or running promotions in supermarkets.

At the age when she should have been experiencing her first crush, her heart had been completely empty. Yet the moment she met Luke, those feelings took root and bloomed wildly, and she had given him everything without a second thought.

A roar from the crowd snapped Sophie back to reality; someone had just sunk a three-pointer. She clapped along with the cheering spectators, even though she had completely missed the play.

That evening, she went out for drinks with the student organizers and ended up drinking quite a bit.

When praised for her high tolerance, Sophie laughingly recited the advertising slogan for their sponsored liquor, earning another round of cheers.

Navigating the social dynamics of a dinner party wasn't actually that hard. Even as an introvert, if she pictured everyone's faces as dollar bills, she could easily smile, chat, and drink with the best of them.

But once she returned to the hotel and the noise faded, the isolation hit harder.

Sophie stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the neon city lights.

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