I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 18

"Sophie, I need to speak with you." Luke offered her colleague a flawlessly polite smile before turning his attention to her.

"I'm sorry, I have a date tonight. If it's work-related, my colleague can assist you."

Sophie plastered on a matching polite smile, keeping her tone as deferential and professional as possible.

"Give me five minutes." Luke glanced at Gavin and added smoothly, "Excuse me, I just need to consult with her on a quick matter."

Gavin smiled easily and looked at Sophie. "I'll wait for you outside." As her coworkers hurried off to their networking event, only Luke and Sophie remained.

"When did you leave San Francisco?"

Luke's eyes flicked down to her name badge. "Did you move back home?"

Sophie ignored the question entirely. "Mr. Lawrence, I don't have to answer questions about my private life."

"Sophie," Luke said, his voice heavy with exhaustion and frustration. "Does it have to be like this? You blocked me on everything. Are we seriously never going to speak again?"

Sophie let out a hollow laugh and met his gaze. "Were you expecting us to be friends?"

"The least you could do is let me know where you are and if you're okay."

"I'm perfectly fine. And as long as you leave me alone, I'll stay fine."

Luke squeezed his eyes shut, speaking with visible difficulty. "Sophie, there are things I never got the chance to explain."

"Then don't. It won't change the ending, so what's the point?"

Luke stared at her, his dark, intense gaze filled with churning emotions.

She had changed. Her long, straight black hair—which he had always loved and which she had kept entirely natural for years—was now chopped into a chic, tea-brown bob that curled slightly at the ends.

She had always been so compliant, rarely going against his wishes or throwing tantrums. She had never spoken to him with such cold detachment.

Everything was different now.

Sophie glanced toward the gym exit and tapped her watch. "My boyfriend has been waiting. He's going to get upset."

She felt a twinge of guilt the moment the words left her mouth; using someone else as a human shield was a low blow.

Hearing him say it so casually made Sophie relax. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to deal with him anymore. So..."

"Did you leave San Francisco because of him?"

"Yeah," Sophie nodded, though she had zero intention of diving into the details.

Gavin fell silent. He had already guessed that a woman packing up her life and leaving a city she'd lived in for eleven years was likely running from a broken heart.

"Would you ever come back for me?"

Realizing how forward that sounded, he quickly backpedaled. "I just mean, San Francisco has better career opportunities. It's a massive city. The odds of running into one specific person are practically zero."

Sophie just smiled and didn't answer.

She was pathetic. She had tried so hard to forget him, constantly reminding herself of his flaws, swearing she would never look back.

Yet even now, just visiting the city for two weeks, every time she looked out at the glittering skyline, her mind betrayed her, wondering where he was and whose bed he was in.

Move back here? Breathe the same air as him? Look at the same night sky? No. She couldn't do it. She had to stay as far away as possible.