I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 216

Luke took the card without really looking at it, muttered a brief "It's fine," pulled his sleep mask back down, and returned to feigning sleep.

Zoe Zeller remained incredibly quiet for the rest of the flight, not making another sound until the plane landed. As everyone stood up to grab their luggage, she apologized to him one last time before hurrying off.

When Luke arrived home, Eleanor and Arthur Lawrence didn't pry.

They knew their son had gone to St. Moritz, and they knew he had gone there to search for his memories with Sophie.

Sophie was a name none of them ever wanted to mention in front of him again.

On the day of the trial, Eleanor had sat directly behind Sophie. She had seen how tightly Sophie gripped the back of the chair in front of her, and she had clearly seen the diamond ring on her left hand.

The diamond wasn't massive—it was only one carat. But Sophie had chosen that simple ring, rejecting the dazzling two-carat diamond her son had offered her.

Eleanor had exchanged a loaded glance with Arthur, cautiously observing Luke.

She knew without a doubt that Luke had seen it too.

Once the lawsuit wrapped up, they never uttered Sophie's name in his presence again.

Luke never brought it up either. He continued working late into the night, his entire existence seemingly reduced to nothing but business.

Eleanor had dropped several hints, trying to set him up with her friend's niece, but Luke had firmly shut down every attempt.

Arthur had advised her multiple times not to rush things, to give Luke the time he needed to slowly heal.

Now, watching their son return from St. Moritz looking thoroughly exhausted, they only asked if he was tired and what he wanted to eat, carefully avoiding any mention of his trip.

Luke forced down a bowl of shrimp wontons, claimed he was exhausted, took a quick shower, and went straight to bed alone.

Inside his room, the blackout curtains were drawn tight, the door shut firmly, plunging the space into absolute darkness.

A dull ache throbbed in his temples. He rubbed his forehead, rolled onto his side, and pulled a pillow tightly into his arms before closing his eyes.

Ever since Sophie left, he had developed this habit. He couldn't fall asleep unless he had his arms wrapped around a pillow.

As he tossed and turned, Sophie's face surfaced in his mind's eye.

He remembered checking out of the hotel. When he turned to look at her, she was staring blankly into space. He had to call her name twice before she snapped out of it, forcing a stiff smile before following him out.

In the departure lounge, he had pulled out his laptop to answer emails. She sat beside him, reading a novel, perfectly silent the entire time.

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