I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 79

As Sophie turned her back on him, the razor-sharp hostility in her eyes completely evaporated, replaced by a hollow, crushing numbness.

The afternoon rush of office workers poured out of the skyscraper, brushing past her as she walked against the current. Everything in front of her blurred into meaningless shapes. The entire world felt like a glitching simulation. None of this could possibly be real.

Looking over her shoulder, the crowd of onlookers had already dispersed, and the man was just sliding into the back seat of a sleek black sedan.

It had to be fake. Sophie repeated the mantra to herself like a lifeline.

She kept her head down and practically sprinted into her building's lobby, only for a figure to suddenly step directly into her path and snatch her arm.

A scream ripped up her throat, but the man whispered harshly, "It's me."

Without missing a beat, he dragged her aggressively toward the emergency stairwell.

Sophie looked up at Luke Lawrence. Her brain was still completely short-circuiting from the massive emotional bombshell, the shock and rage festering in her chest with nowhere to go. And now, of all times, Luke had to throw himself right into the crossfire.

Sophie kicked him hard in the shin. "Psycho!"

Luke didn't flinch. He simply hauled her flush against his chest. "Do you really want the whole building to see us like this?"

"Shameless," Sophie spat. Glancing at the endless stream of people pouring out of the elevators, she forcefully suppressed her rage. "I can walk by myself. Don't touch me."

The heavy fire door clicked shut behind them, and Sophie immediately shoved Luke backward with both hands.

"I already signed the damn paper! She gets to go back to you, scot-free. What more do you people want? What more can you possibly take from me?"

Luke didn't step back. Instead, he closed the distance again, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. "What is going on between you and Harold?"

Sophie shot him a venomous glare. He had obviously witnessed the slap in the plaza.

"Exactly what it looked like," she replied with freezing indifference.

"Sophie, Harold is an elder I have immense respect for. There is no way he would do something like that. You..."

Luke couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, instead gripping her shoulders tightly to force her to look him in the eye.

"He wouldn't do something like that? So it must be me? You think I seduced your beloved mentor, your precious future father-in-law, just to get revenge on you and Eileen?"

Sophie finished his ugly accusation for him, a cynical, mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"Why did you suddenly agree to sign the waiver today? Last night, I had Gwen pass along a message. I waited for you at the spot until eleven o'clock, but you never showed. Harold came back to the hotel very late last night too. I was worried you..."

The memory of walking into her apartment and finding Harold looming over her terrified mother flashed through Sophie's mind. How did she ever get tangled up with this parasitic, unhinged family in the first place? It was all because of the man standing right in front of her.

"Sophie."

Seeing her completely zone out, staring right through him, Luke grew frantic. "What exactly happened between you two?"

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