I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 169

Once they were inside the car, Gavin pulled Sophie into a tight, lingering embrace.

He was truly terrified. Seeing Luke lying there in a coma sent a spike of pure horror through his chest. It could so easily have been Sophie in that bed.

Yet, when she was in her most critical danger, when she needed him the most, he hadn't been there. Another man had risked his life to save her, and the guilt was eating him alive.

"I should have been there with you. Sophie..."

Gavin held her closely, though he was careful not to squeeze too tightly, terrified she might have hidden injuries. Despite that, all he wanted was to fold her into himself to finally feel secure.

"I'm fine... just a few scrapes."

Her words did nothing to ease his guilt. He had been too focused on persuading his parents and had completely neglected her.

After taking her to buy a new phone, Gavin bought her a new purse. The strap of her old one had completely snapped during the chaos.

He held the new bag open, letting Sophie transfer her belongings into it.

As her fingers brushed against the ring, her hand froze.

When Luke was rushed to the hospital, his right hand had been clamped shut. The nurse had to pry his fingers open for his examination, revealing the very ring Sophie had rejected.

He had gripped it so hard that the solid metal had left deep indentations in his palm.

The nurse had handed Luke's phone and the ring over to Sophie for safekeeping. Back in the hospital room, she had returned the phone to Eleanor but completely forgot about the ring.

In truth, she couldn't have handed it to his mother right in front of Gavin anyway. How would she even begin to explain it?

Sophie clutched the ring tightly in her palm. The bag was empty, offering nowhere to hide it, and her dress didn't have pockets. She had no idea what to do with it.

"Could you throw the old bag away for me?" she asked, finding an excuse to get him away.

She couldn't let him see the ring. Their relationship was already hanging by a thread, and she wasn't about to pour gasoline on the fire.

While Gavin walked over to the trash bin, Sophie quickly slipped the ring into a hidden zipper compartment in her new purse.

When Gavin returned, he took the bag from her, grabbed her uninjured hand, and walked her out of the mall.

The car ride back was filled with heavy silence.

Sophie finally broke it. "Did your parents make it home safely?"

"Yeah." Gavin nodded, glancing at her with a deeply apologetic look. "I didn't tell them you got hurt. I didn't want them to worry."

Sophie smiled faintly. "I understand."

She knew he wasn't just afraid of them worrying; he was terrified it would solidify their belief that she was nothing but a magnet for drama and trouble.

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