I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 83

Sophie unlocked the door. The apartment was pitch black.

"Mom," Sophie called out tentatively. There was no response. Her heart instantly seized.

Gavin held her hand tightly with one hand while flicking on the living room light with the other.

Sophie pulled free and practically ran toward the master bedroom.

The bedroom was dark as well. Sophie called out again, and this time, Sarah finally offered a weak reply.

"You're back. My chest felt a bit tight, so I laid down to rest. It's nothing serious."

Sophie gently clicked on the bedside lamp, keeping the light dim so as not to hurt her mother's eyes. Even in the low light, she could see Sarah frowning, looking deeply uncomfortable.

"Are you sure it's nothing? Should we go to the hospital?" Sophie asked anxiously.

"It's nowhere near that serious. I just need to sleep it off. You should go to bed early too," Sarah murmured.

"Mom, did something happen? Why was your phone off?" Sophie asked gently.

"Nothing happened. I probably just bumped the power button by accident."

Sophie lingered in the room for a while longer. She poured her mother a glass of water, helped her drink it, and only then stepped out. Her gut told her something had happened, but her mother clearly didn't want to talk about it.

Gavin was still waiting in the living room. Realizing she had shaken off his hand earlier without saying a word, Sophie offered him an apologetic smile.

"I was just a little panicked earlier..."

"I understand."

Gavin stood up, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said softly, "You take care of her first. Call me if you need anything."

He stepped out of the apartment building. Walking along the path between the buildings, he spotted Luke standing in the shadows, and a wave of intense irritation washed over him.

Luke hadn't noticed Gavin. He was just staring up, judging the location of Sophie's apartment based on the sudden glow of the lights.

"What do you want?" Gavin stopped directly in front of him.

Only then did Luke shift his gaze to Gavin. "What just happened? She looked frantic."

After watching Sophie and Gavin walk away, he had seen her take a call and frantically flag down a cab. Worried that something was wrong, he had followed them.

"Her mom wasn't feeling well, but she's fine now. However, I highly doubt she wants you bothering her again."

"That is between her and me," Luke said, his voice dropping to a freezing temperature.

"When she doesn't need it, your concern is just harassment. Sophie has made it perfectly clear to you. Stop bothering her."

"Apologize to Victoria right now, and go see Eileen! If you ever do anything to hurt Eileen again, I'll be the first one to tear you apart!"

Eleanor stood up, urging Arthur to calm down while pushing Luke upstairs to change his clothes. At the bedroom door, she whispered to him.

"I know you're unhappy, but Harold saved our family. If Eileen does something drastic because of you, our family will never have peace for the rest of our lives. Just go coax her. At the very least, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

That phrase had been repeated by his parents for years. Whenever Eileen threatened suicide, he became the villain, and he was always the one forced to compromise.

So many times, Luke had wondered—if she actually succeeded in killing herself one day, would he feel liberated, or would his conscience be tortured for the rest of his life?

But right now, he thought liberation might outweigh the guilt.

Luke closed his bedroom door. He didn't change his clothes, and he didn't step back out.

Eleanor knocked on the door from the hallway. "Luke, hurry up. Victoria is still waiting for you."

A profound sense of exhaustion made him want to do absolutely nothing. But under his mother's relentless urging, he eventually followed Victoria to the Harper house.

The two families lived very close to each other.

They used to live in the same factory residential compound, just three buildings apart. Now, they lived in the same upscale neighborhood, in adjacent townhouses. The Harpers were right next door.