I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 160

"Mom, is Rosemary feeling any better? I bought some artisanal iced tea from that historic shop. It's made from scratch with real ingredients."

Gavin plastered on his most charming smile and offered a bottle to Gillian, only to be hit with a glare so lethal it could kill.

Gavin dramatically clutched his chest in mock pain, slipping past her into the bedroom to hand the drink to his grandmother. "Rosemary, try this. Sophie loves this place."

The second the name left his mouth, Gillian shot him another absolutely venomous look.

Gavin held his grandmother's hand, pouring on the boyish charm and acting incredibly sweet, fully aware that tonight was going to be an absolute bloodbath for him.

"Gavin, you grew up in a very sheltered environment, and everything in your life has always fallen perfectly into place. You've never had to deal with real mess, so it's completely normal to be drawn to a girl with a complicated, tragic background. But when it comes to marriage, your father and I need you to be incredibly careful. Kids who grow up in deeply fractured families carry heavy baggage, and they tend to have highly extreme reactions to conflict."

"Rosemary, you know Sophie isn't like that."

"But she deliberately hid all of this from you. How many other secrets is she keeping? How much do you actually know about her real past?"

"Rosemary..." Gavin tried to jump in and defend Sophie, but Gillian instantly cut him off.

"That is enough. Let your grandmother rest. She is sick to her stomach and couldn't even manage a bowl of soup for dinner, so stop adding to her stress."

Gavin retreated from his grandmother's room to join his parents for dinner in the suite.

The exact second he opened his mouth, Gillian glared him into total silence. "Let me eat in peace."

Gavin looked desperately at his father, but Graham's eyes were practically made of ice.

Gavin kept his mouth shut; it was painfully obvious his parents had zero intention of hearing a single word of his defense.

The moment they stepped back into their room, Gillian dropped all pretenses. "I already gave your father and grandmother the full rundown on the Sophie situation. Putting aside the massive red flag that she completely lied to you about her family history, can you honestly tell me you're not bothered by that incredibly toxic past relationship of hers?"

"When Sophie was with him, she had absolutely no idea he had a childhood fiancée waiting in the wings. She literally bumped into them on the street by pure accident, and she packed her bags and walked away the very next morning."

"Walked away? A full year after they broke up, some psycho is still tracking her down to throw acid in her face. Are you absolutely certain they completely cut ties? The most dangerous thing a woman can do is leave a relationship messy and unresolved."

Gavin had no choice but to painstakingly walk them through the entire chaotic history between Sophie and Luke all over again.

When she saw the dark, heavy circles under Gavin's eyes that morning, she instantly knew he had been put through hell last night. Being relentlessly grilled by his parents while desperately trying to defend her—caught in a brutal crossfire between the people he loved most. The pressure must be suffocating.

She was already bracing herself for the absolute worst-case scenario. Anyone who had witnessed a psychotic meltdown like that and heard those filthy accusations would naturally be horrified at the prospect of welcoming her into their family.

She completely understood where Gillian was coming from, but the sheer injustice of it all made her want to scream. Why was her life constantly being ripped apart by that toxic family?

That afternoon, she took the initiative and called Luke. "Is he not here yet?"

"I'm currently at the airport. Head straight to the hospital; I'll bring him directly to you."

"Call Victoria and Eileen. Make sure they are standing right there to witness the whole thing, so they can't accuse me of tampering with the results later."

This time, she was going to permanently shut their mouths and forcefully take the massive fortune that rightfully belonged to her.

If she backed down now, those monsters would still spend every waking second plotting to destroy her. She might as well go to war and fight them to the bitter end. She wouldn't let them keep a single cent of what was hers.