I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 28

"I'm sorry" was the most utterly useless phrase on the planet.

Could a single apology erase the agonizing nightmare she had lived through?

Sophie brutally shut down the memory. She refused to drag this out with him—they were poison to each other and had absolutely no business being in the same room.

"Let go of me right now, or I swear to God I'll scream. Do you want your little fiancée walking in on this?"

That finally worked. His massive frame went completely rigid against her.

Trembling with absolute disgust, she forcefully pried his fingers off her body, yanked the lock open, and fled.

Pausing just outside the VIP room, she smoothed down her hair and viciously straightened her dress, desperately trying to erase any evidence of what had just happened.

"Who were you on the phone with for so long?" Gwen grabbed her arm, squinting suspiciously at her.

"Why is your face totally flushed? What exactly were you two talking about?"

Gwen teased with a wicked, entirely inappropriate smirk.

Sophie completely ignored the bait, her eyes instantly locking onto the contract resting on the coffee table.

Catching the look, Gwen broke into a massive, triumphant grin and gave a firm nod.

A massive wave of relief washed over Sophie. Thank God—at least this agonizing nightmare of a night wasn't a total waste.

"I've got to run. He just got into town."

"Go get 'em," Gwen practically purred, waving her off.

Just as Sophie turned to make her polite excuses to the group, Eileen suddenly called out, "Sophie, have you seen Luke?"

"Oh, no," Sophie lied smoothly, her mask firmly in place. "Have you tried calling him?"

"He left his phone on the table. It's been ringing non-stop. I just walked the entire hall and couldn't find him anywhere."

Sophie just shrugged, plastering on a look of total, clueless innocence.

It was twisted. Just minutes ago, she had felt a suffocating wave of guilt. But standing here now, looking at the other woman's frantic panic, she actually felt a dark, vindictive thrill.

She quickly offered her apologies to the room, grabbing her purse to make her escape.

"You can't bail on us now! You promised we were drinking until we dropped,"

Leo jumped up, smoothly intercepting her as she reached for her trench coat.

As she scrambled to come up with an excuse for him, the heavy door swung open, and Luke strolled back in. His face was a completely terrifying, expressionless mask.

"Where have you been? Your phone has been blowing up," Eileen demanded, practically sprinting over to him.

"Just needed some air. Went out for a smoke."

Eileen's brow pinched tightly. He had been gone way longer than it took to smoke a single cigarette.

"Luke, back me up here. You're her old boss. Tell her it's completely unacceptable to ditch a party early,"

Leo complained loudly.

He offered a completely dead-eyed nod.

The second the doors closed, Luke turned straight to Sophie. "Where are you heading? Do I drop you off first, or Gwen?"

"I already called an Uber, but thanks anyway," she shot back, flashing her phone screen to avoid making eye contact.

Eileen clung tightly to his arm, whining softly. "You've been drinking. You shouldn't drive."

She practically dragged him into the back seat while Jessica grabbed the keys and took the wheel. Gwen claimed shotgun, subtly checking the rearview mirror as she clicked her seatbelt.

Luke was sitting bolt upright, his face terrifyingly blank, while Eileen was draped over him like a blanket.

Gwen rolled her eyes. Who cared if he looked like a god? A cheating bastard was still a cheating bastard.

As the car pulled away from the curb, they passed Sophie, who was still standing under the streetlight, waiting for her ride.

Gwen rolled the window down and screamed enthusiastically, "Have fun tonight, babe!"

Watching Sophie's figure disappear in the distance, Gwen let out a highly theatrical sigh.

"God, it pays to be gorgeous. We've only been in San Francisco for two weeks, and she's already got some college boy absolutely obsessed with her. He's totally whipped—couldn't even wait for his trip to end before catching a red-eye back to her. A young, hot athlete with unlimited stamina. So jealous."

Gwen laid it on impossibly thick, craning her neck to get a clear view of Luke's face in the mirror.

His jaw was locked tight enough to shatter teeth, his eyes utterly pitch-black.

Gwen smirked viciously to herself. Choke on it.