I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 39

Sophie's childhood apartment was tiny, and the living room was especially cramped. The small dining table could barely fit four people.

Sarah apologized politely to Gwen, "The place is a bit small, I'm so sorry."

Gwen waved her hands quickly. "Please don't apologize, Mrs. Sullivan. I should be the one apologizing for crashing your lunch."

Jason held his daughter on his lap and gave Sophie an apologetic smile. "I had no idea you were bringing a guest. I shouldn't have just dropped by like this."

"Why is everyone being so polite today?" Sophie laughed, gesturing for everyone to start eating.

"Auntie Sophie, are you married?" Mia suddenly shrieked, staring wide-eyed at the ring on Sophie's hand.

Sarah's face went pale. She immediately grabbed her daughter's hand to inspect it.

There, on Sophie's left ring finger, sat a very real-looking diamond ring.

"You... what is the meaning of this?" Sarah's voice trembled, terrified that her daughter had done something reckless again in a moment of emotional distress.

"Mom, I bought it myself. It's just a decoy ring. It's fake," Sophie quickly explained.

"Why on earth would a single girl walk around wearing a wedding ring? Take it off this instant," Sarah scolded sharply.

Sophie pulled the ring off her ring finger and slid it onto her index finger, wiggling it at her mother.

"Is this better? Wearing it on my index finger means I'm single."

Sarah shot her a withering glare but held her tongue, not wanting to make a scene in front of Jason and Gwen.

She was terrified that after her recent heartbreak, her daughter would either refuse to date entirely or impulsively marry the first guy she met.

The table settled back into a peaceful rhythm, save for Gwen, who had silently observed the entire exchange between Sarah and Jason. She sat there suppressing a smirk, looking like she had just unraveled the secrets of the universe.

After lunch, Sophie helped her mother clear the plates into the kitchen and prepared tea for their guests.

"Mom, I'm heading to the furniture showroom this afternoon to pay off the final balance."

Before she left for her business trip, she had only paid the deposit using a maxed-out credit card. After selling the jewelry Luke had given her, she had bought the decoy ring and had enough left over to cover the remaining balance.

"The balance is paid, and the furniture has already been delivered. We're just waiting on you to pick out the curtains."

"Where did you get the money?" Sophie was stunned. The renovations had completely drained her mother's life savings. Both mother and daughter were practically broke right now.

"Mr. Jenkins advanced me two years of salary. He said the new furniture needs time to off-gas the paint fumes, so it has to sit for a few months before we can move in."

"Mom, why didn't you wait for me to get back? Owing favors like that is complicated."

"I tried to refuse, but Mr. Jenkins insisted. He meant well; he just wanted us to be able to move into the new place sooner."

Sophie couldn't argue with that. She carried the brewed tea out to the living room.

"I'm going to head out. I need to catch up on sleep before work tomorrow."

Gwen took a sip of tea and stood up to leave.

"I'll go with you. I need to head over to the new apartment and measure the windows for the curtains anyway," Sophie said, standing up as well.

"I already measured them for you. I sent the dimensions to your phone."

Jason pulled up a photo on his phone. It was a detailed, hand-drawn floor plan with precise measurements for the windows and walls in the living room and both bedrooms.

"Thank you so much. I guess I can just head straight to the fabric market then."

"I need to stop by the office anyway. I can drop you off," Jason offered, standing up.

"Do you think you could drop me off on the way, too?" Gwen chimed in with a hopeful smile.

It was true—over the last few years, she had barely paid attention to her mother's well-being.

That evening, by the time Jason finished working late and came to pick up Mia, it was almost 9 p.m. Sophie was in the middle of playing house with her.

"Daddy, I still have a fever."

Mia pouted, trying to act pitiful.

Jason pressed the back of his hand against her forehead, then leaned down to press his forehead against hers. He confirmed immediately that the little girl was just making excuses to avoid preschool.

"Mia, I already let you stay home for two extra days. No more making excuses."

"I want to live with Auntie Sophie. I don't want to go home."

Mia retreated to Sophie's side and hugged the stuffed bunny she had been playing with.

"Silly girl, what's so great about our place? It's tiny, it's old, and there aren't even any toys here," Sophie laughed.

"It's boring at home. Daddy just draws all the time and never plays with me."

"Auntie Sophie just got back from a long business trip and she's very tired. Good kids don't bother people when they need to rest."

Jason coaxed her for a while longer until Mia finally agreed to go home, but she firmly insisted on taking the old stuffed bunny with her.

"That one is too old and worn out. Grandma will make you a brand-new one," Sarah offered gently.

"I want this one. Auntie Sophie said when she was little, hugging this bunny made her feel brave enough to sleep by herself."

In the end, Mia got her way and carried the bunny downstairs. At her mother's urging, Sophie grabbed a flashlight and walked Jason and Mia out.

The apartment building was incredibly old and didn't have property management. Several of the hallway lights had burned out years ago, and no one had ever bothered to fix them.