I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 149

Sophie kept her gaze locked on her lap, biting down hard on her lower lip. The words were tangled in her throat, and she had no idea how to untangle them.

The silence in the car was suffocating. Even the warm summer breeze drifting through the open window couldn't cut the crippling tension.

"Maybe I picked the wrong time to ask. I overestimated my place."

Gavin let out a harsh, self-deprecating laugh and put the car in gear.

His jaw tightened as he focused on the road. He was furious with himself for losing his patience. The question had only cornered her and humiliated him.

Even at the red light, he kept his eyes rigidly forward, watching the seconds tick painfully down on the traffic clock.

"Gavin," Sophie finally spoke as he pulled into the parking lot.

He turned to look at her, forcing a smile, though the hollow ache in his eyes was painfully obvious.

She knew her silence had completely shattered his confidence.

"It's not what you think," she whispered.

"I can't change how I was born. If your parents take issue with me as a person, I can fix my flaws. I can try harder. But if they look down on me because of my mother's past... how am I supposed to fight that?"

By the end of her sentence, her voice was completely broken.

She could work herself to the bone to be the perfect girlfriend, the perfect career woman, but she would always carry the stigma of her birth.

If his parents held that against her, if they looked at her mother with disgust, she would rather walk away than subject Sarah to that humiliation.

Gavin killed the engine and reached across the console, pulling her tightly against his chest. "That won't happen. I'll handle my parents. I was just terrified that you..."

He cut himself off, letting out a long, shuddering sigh. "I'm sorry. I never should have ambushed you like that. It's okay. Take your time. Just promise me you won't give up on us before we even try."

Sophie nodded fiercely against his shoulder. Seeing how grave he still looked, she lightly nudged his arm. "If you stay this tense, I'm going to have a panic attack."

"I really didn't mean to pressure you." He offered her an apologetic, rueful smile.

"Come upstairs. You're going to help my mom prep the Mung Bean Shortbread."

Gavin obediently followed her up to the apartment. When they walked in, Sarah was already up to her elbows in prep work.

"You got back from rehearsal early today," Gavin noted with a warm smile.

Sophie shot him a knowing wink. "Gwen is having dinner at Jason's place tonight."

Luke stared at the floor. Truthfully, he was entirely out of ideas.

The last time he had flown out to see her, the engagement ring was practically burning a hole in his pocket, yet he never even got the chance to pull it out.

It had been a month. Had her heart softened toward him at all?

He had promised to leave the choice entirely in her hands. He was stuck in purgatory, waiting. Both he and Gavin were just holding their breath for her final verdict.

Victoria let out a chilling scoff. "She is incredibly calculated. She has you right where she wants you, and she's doing the exact same thing to Harold."

"I know Eileen sounds like a lunatic, but do you honestly believe Harold is completely innocent in this? Luke, we are out of time. You cannot afford to play the long game here."

With trembling hands, Victoria unlocked a drawer in the desk and pulled out a manila envelope. She unclasped it and shoved the paternity test into Luke's hands.

"I paid someone to crack his office safe. I sent Eileen to you because I couldn't risk her finding out."

Luke pulled out the paperwork. There were no names listed, only the S-Report code. The results stated a zero percent probability of a biological match.

"He has always been obsessed with having a son. You know that better than anyone. The day you walked into this house, he practically adopted you. He mentored you. He groomed you to be his successor."