All Chapters of By the Time He Looked Back: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

"But baby, you really do not need to block me. They will not check my phone."I turned off the screen and ignored him.Even now, Luke still thought this was just a fake breakup to fool his group of bad friends.But I no longer wanted to play his game.I threw away everything Madison might have touched and had replacements delivered overnight. I stayed busy until I no longer knew what time it was, then fell into a heavy sleep.When I woke, there was a text from Luke."Come to the banquet hall at six tonight. Birthday dinner."Just say we broke up but can still be friends."I still did not reply.At six that evening, I arrived at the banquet hall anyway.I wanted to make things clear. I wanted to put a clean period at the end of this relationship.The manager respectfully pushed open the door for me.When everyone inside saw me, the noise died.For the first time, I took a long look at Luke's friends.Amusement. Spectacle. Pity.I had never truly belonged in his circle. At

My best friend Sarah Collins arrived late with Mr. Thompson, my father's secretary."Uncle Robert had an emergency meeting and could not leave, so he asked me to bring Mr. Thompson first."Sarah's gaze swept sharply across the room before she stepped in front of me."Looks like we came at the wrong time."I am only a little late, and you all already ganged up on her?"Her eyes burned straight through Luke."Your girlfriend, and you joined other people to bully her?"Luke inhaled deeply and suddenly calmed down."Emily, apologize to Madison."Everything else, I can let go."Madison clung to his arm at once."Sarah, I only spilled a little wine on Miss Miller's dress by accident. Then she demanded thirty thousand dollars."I know Miss Miller needs money. I am willing to pay her, but how could she team up with Ben to lie to and betray Luke?"I really cannot swallow that. Do not let her fool you too."Sarah stepped in front of me without hesitation."Madison Carter, that rou

"Emily," Luke said urgently, grabbing my hand. "Can you give me one more chance?"I... I was not completely without feeling for you.""Luke, I remember grudges too."I do not want to believe another word you say."After that day, I went to Bennett Group to complete my resignation.Luke always said that after dating him, my clothes, meals, housing, and transportation were all paid for by him.But in the month I worked at Bennett Group, the project my team and I completed earned the company tens of millions.Everything I received had been earned through my labor.I carried my things out of Bennett Group.Somehow Luke found out that I had come to the office and chased me outside."Emily, I know I wronged you, but can you... give me a chance to explain?"From the day I was born, I was something no one wanted. I never had light, and I never believed anyone would love me."I played with relationships. I tried to prove myself. I wanted everyone to shut up. I wanted to prove that I

"Luke, because of your past, you cannot bear to see anyone else happy."You wanted everyone to be like you, living like something rotten in a gutter."But your misfortune was never anyone else's responsibility."I threw the evidence I had gathered at Luke's face.Back then, old Mr. Bennett had once said in anger that Luke was truly no match for Mark. Because of that single sentence, Luke pushed him down the stairs, causing his death.Luke's mother had protected him by staying silent.But Luke planted Mark's wife's jewelry in his mother's pocket, making Mark believe she was greedy and dishonest. She was sent out of the country.That poor woman still did not know her own son had framed her.As for Mark Bennett, he had not been born infertile. Luke had drugged him.Even as a child, Luke had already been willing to do anything for gain.When I found that evidence, a chill ran through my whole body.I suddenly could not tell how much sincerity had been in the night he saved me.