I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 2

Every morning, Sophie would get out of bed, prepare breakfast, squeeze toothpaste onto Luke's toothbrush, and only then wake him up.

They would eat breakfast together and leave the apartment at the same time. But while Luke drove to the office, Sophie was relegated to taking a cab.

Luke insisted he didn't want their relationship made public, claiming it would complicate their professional lives. So, they left home together, traveled the same route, yet were never allowed to walk through the company doors side by side.

Watching Luke's sleek car speed off into the distance every day always brought a quiet wave of sorrow crashing over her.

Sitting alone in the back of a taxi, she would let the air conditioning dry the tears on her cheeks. The exact second she stepped into the lobby, that flawless, trademark smile was back on her face. Luke always said the slight curve of her lips when she smiled was her most captivating feature.

For seven years, she had given him that beautiful smile, never once asking for more. She always assumed Luke understood her—that he knew exactly what she wanted.

But after seven years of waiting, Luke never brought it up, and Sophie kept her silence. They remained locked in a stagnant holding pattern.

For her twenty-nine birthday, she wasn't without hope. Truthfully, ever since he had taken her to Japan for the holidays, she had naively fantasized that he might finally propose.

But he hadn't.

A week ago, when she received her lab results, her world had been thrown into chaos.

She didn't want Luke to marry her out of obligation to a child. She wanted him to choose her freely, so she kept the secret buried.

Until last night. She held onto one last shred of hope that maybe his birthday gift to her would be the proposal she had waited for her entire adult life.

Instead, on the actual day of her twenty-nine birthday, Luke took a phone call before the workday even ended and abruptly vanished.

And now, she had stumbled upon him out with another woman.

So this was his grand gift to her.

At the sound of keys turning in the lock, Sophie stood up and opened the door. Luke walked in, smelling heavily of alcohol.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" he asked, flipping the living room switch. The sudden glare stung Sophie's eyes.

"Did you have fun today? Happy birthday." He tossed a velvet jewelry box to her. Inside was a white gold necklace. Sophie already had a dozen just like it.

Luke loved showering women with jewelry. Every necklace, earring, and bracelet she owned was from him, but he had never once bought her a ring.

All Sophie truly wanted was a simple band, but just like a promise, it was something he absolutely refused to give.

She had half-expected him to ask about the young man she'd shared an umbrella with, but he didn't even mention it. He just told her to go draw his bathwater.

Sophie forced her tears back and walked into the bathroom. What was her actual place in his heart? If he had been jealous, it might have proven he cared. But there was nothing.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify