The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate Novel” refers to a literary concept encapsulating the emotional detachment and complexities surrounding a former spouse’s feelings within the narrative setting of a shopping mall symbolic of fate and destiny.
The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate Chapter 163-168
Chapter 163
Marian looked up and flashed Daniel a grin, “My name’s Marian. Please don’t call me anything else, not my cup of tea.”
With that, her smile quickly vanished as she dove back into her phone.
Daniel’s smile froze a tad.
Louis jumped in to smooth things over, “She’s got no memory of her childhood, man. The chick had it rough growing up outside, took us two years of sweet-talking to get her to even peek back home.”
Hearing this, Daniel felt even more for her and didn’t mind Marian’s lack of manners, keeping up his smile he asked, “Got a boyfriend yet, Marian?”
“Nah,” Marian glanced up briefly, “Swamped with studies, dude. No time for boy trouble.”
“This girl’s a bookworm, just graduated from Apex Engineering University, nailed a master’s in architecture.”
Louis couldn’t help puffing up with pride as he rattled off the university name, boasting, “Called it when she was a tot, said she was brainy material. Quiet, diligent, focused, and smart as a whip, knew she’d land in a top school and she did!”
Daniel had been to that uni with Louis back in the day but still couldn’t help marveling, “That’s seriously badass.”
He was genuinely stoked for Yolanda.
He’d been rooting for Yolanda since she was a kid.
Finally, Marian looked up again, “Thanks.”
Her smile this time held a genuine spark.
That bit of sincerity touched Daniel, and he couldn’t help but steer the convo back to matters of the heart, “Got anyone you fancy, Marian?”
“Nope,” Marian answered straight-up, without a trace of shyness or discomfort.
Louis seized the moment to bring up Brandon, “Brandon still flying solo?”
Patricia jumped in, “Yup, still on the market, Heard from Kent he’s thinking about trying his luck at matchmaking events.”
“Why bother with matchmaking?” Louis looked at Marian, “Both unattached, childhood friends, families know each other inside out, same age range, might as well play Cupid, right?”
“Wha?” Marian looked at Louis, surprised, “Is that really cool?”
Thinking she was just playing hard to get, Louis reassured her, “Just hang out, see if it clicks. No matchmaking, no wedding bells, no pressure.”
Daniel was all for Louis’ idea.
The families had been tight for decades, matched well, and despite the distance after Yolanda’s disappearance, they were keen on tying the knot between their kids.
Sure, arranged childhood engagements were out of vogue, but with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in both clans, match-making by the elders was still on the cards.
But Daniel was stumped on how to play Cupid.
Brandon had always been headstrong, not the type to follow through on a dinner setup just because his dad said so..
On the drive back, Daniel couldn’t help but strategize with Patricia.
Patricia was still hung up on the dismissal thing, clueless about what went down, so she wasn’t really in the mood to debate with Daniel. When he asked her what to do, she shot back, “How should I know? If you can’t handle your own son, what makes you think I can?”
Realizing her tone, she quickly softened, “We should probably chat with Brandon first, see his take on Marian. Ever mentioned her?”
This was new territory for Daniel.
“What do I know?” Daniel lamented, “Used to be he’d fend off the girlfriend talk with Yolanda. Now that she’s back, not a peep about it. It’s all on him, really. Why the heck did he rush into marriage outta nowhere?”
The mere thought fired Daniel up, clueless about what charms Sophia used to get Brandon to tie the knot on the fly.
“Speaking of which,” Patricia remembered her encounter with Sophia at Star-Dempsey Architects, “Sophia’s over at Star-Dempsey
1/3
09:49
Architects, landed a gig as a Design Director. You knew about this?”
Daniel frowned, “She’s back?”
“Yeah, you didn’t know?”
Daniel shot her a look, his face clouding over.
He checked his watch, still before quitting time, and instructed the driver, “Nell, back to the office.”
“Right away, Mr. Crawley, Nell responded, taking the next turn.
Sophia was wrapping up for the day, close to quitting time.
She had a date with a real estate agent to see some places and was ready to dash as soon as the clock struck the hour.
So, spotting it was nearly 6 PM, she started packing up.
Cindy was almost done too. Around the same age as Sophia and feeling they were birds of a feather-women who’d rather hit up a sperm bank than deal with men she felt a kinship with Sophia. No sense of hierarchy between them, she peeked into Sophia’s office as the end of work neared, “Hey, dinner tonight?”
Sophia was in a bind, “Got an appointment to see some apartments, let’s rain check?”
“You’re house hunting?” Cindy picked up the thread, “I’ll tag along, extra pair of eyes can’t hurt. I know this area like the back of my hand.”
Sophia thought it over and nodded, “Sure, that’d be great.”
“”Come on, what’s this ‘trouble’ talk between us? Got nothing better to do after work anyway. My biggest joy is house hunting, even if I can’t afford it,” Cindy confessed with an embarrassed chuckle, “But who says I can’t enjoy the view?”
Sophia cracked a smile, “Alright, I’ll hit you up in a bit.”
Cindy flashed an “OK” sign and bounced out of Sophia’s office. Just as she looked up, she caught the motion-activated glass doors of the office area swinging open, and in walked Daniel. But instead of moving further in, he just stood at the entrance, his face a blank slate as he swept his gaze across the room. His piercing look instantly turned the once noisy space into a dead silence.
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks, not recognizing Daniel. They had no clue who this tall, imposing guy with a mean mug was looking for or what he was after.
Gathering her courage, Cindy stood up and politely asked him, “Hey there, can I help you find someone?”
Daniel’s eyes locked onto her. “Is Sophia Yearwood around?”
The others shot each other that look again, and the quiet turned into a low buzz of whispers and hushed chatter.
Sophia thought she heard her name being called but couldn’t be sure.
Frowning slightly, she got up and walked toward the door, where she paused at the sight of Daniel standing at the entrance.
Daniel spotted her too, sizing her up from head to toe before speaking. “Come here for a sec.”
He still had that authoritative air of the head of the family. Without waiting for Sophia’s response, he turned to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed she hadn’t moved. He looked back at her.
“I need a moment with you,” he said, his tone a bit softer. “Just a few minutes.”
“I’ll be in the conference room,” he added, his eyes still on Sophia, waiting for her nod of acknowledgment.
The onlookers couldn’t help but shoot curious glances at Sophia.
Not wanting to be the center of attention, Sophia gave a slight nod and followed him out.
As the glass doors shut behind them, the murmurs inside the office exploded into a full-blown marketplace buzz. People spun around, gossiping with their neighbors about what was going down and who this guy could be.
No one had forgotten the loaded comment Patricia had dropped that morning, “The compensation my son gave you?”
Don walked back into the office to find everyone chattering like it was a farmers’ market.
“What’s the deal here? Are we not busy anymore?” he asked, causing the noise to abruptly halt. Everyone quickly straightened up and swiveled back to their desks, not daring to make a peep.
Only then did Don turn to Cindy, “What happened?”
“Some guy came looking for Sophia, Cindy whispered.
2/3
09:49
“A guy?” Don frowned, puzzled.
Cindy realized he’d gotten the wrong impression and quickly clarified, “An older guy, well, not old-old, but this tall, handsome fella in his fifties or sixties, all suited up. He looked a bit stern, came straight in asking for the director, said he needed to talk to her. Now they’re,” she gestured towards the conference room, “in the meeting room next door.”
Don’s frown deepened. He glanced at the conference room and headed out the door towards it. Before he even got close, he could see through the glass wall that Daniel was sitting across from Sophia.
“Damn it.”
Don couldn’t help but let out a curse and whipped out his phone, dialing Brandon as he turned around.
“Your dad’s here for Sophia, in the conference room,”
Brandon was busy at his computer when he heard the news. He stopped dead in his tracks, got up from his chair, and bolted out the door.
Kent was on his way to talk to Brandon when he nearly collided with him rushing out.
“Mr. Crawley?”
He called out to Brandon, confused, but Brandon didn’t even glance his way. Stone-faced, he brushed past Kent blocking his path and strode quickly towards the elevator.
In the conference room
Chapter 164
Daniel looked down on Sophia from his high horse.
Having arrived in the conference room before Sophia, he gave her the once-over out of habit as she followed in, and only then did he direct his gaze to her face.
“So, you and Brandon split up, huh?”
Daniel asked, exuding a kind of elder’s authority from his demeanor to his tone.
Daniel wasn’t sure if the two had really divorced.
Brandon had never directly addressed the question.
And Daniel had never laid eyes on a divorce certificate.
But it was a fact that Sophia hadn’t been back in two years.
Even without an official divorce, being separated for two years was enough for a court to issue a divorce decree.
Sophia ignored his question.
“Did you need something from me?”
She asked, her voice consistently calm and gentle, neither servile nor overbearing.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“If you called me here just to confirm that, then yes, we’re divorced.”
“Anything else?” Sophia asked, “I’ve got work to get back to, so if there’s nothing more, I’ll be on my way.”
After saying this, Sophia gave a polite nod and turned to leave.
“Hold on,” Daniel said to stop her. “Now that you’re divorced, why come back?”
He looked at Sophia and added, “Didn’t do too well out there, did you?”
Compared to Patricia’s high and mighty attitude, Daniel was a tad more gentle, but it was still a kind of elder’s arrogance that said, “See, I knew you couldn’t cut it.”
Sophia couldn’t help but laugh and glanced back at him. “I’m doing just fine, thanks for your concern.”
“If you’re doing so well, why come back?” Daniel said, “If you’ve chosen to split, it’s better to let bygones be bygones. All this back-and-forth is messy, and it’s not good for anyone, whether you remarry or Brandon does. You should know, Brandon’s been hung up on Mr. Frost’s youngest daughter, Yolanda,” Daniel said to Sophia, adding, “Now that Yolanda’s back and they’re both single, both families know each other well, it’s a good match.”
“Don’t worry, I’m only back for work, not to entangle with your son,” Sophia cut him off coolly, turning back around, “Your son isn’t worth me coming back for, nor is he worth me giving up my career. Once I’m done with the current project,”
The conference room door was suddenly flung open from the outside, interrupting Sophia.
Sophia instinctively turned back and caught sight of Brandon with an expressionless face.
Daniel saw Brandon too and frowned in displeasure. Just as he was about to scold, Brandon strode forward, bent down to grab Sophia’s wrist, and pulled her to her feet before turning to Daniel.
“Who let you come here?” he asked, his voice icy, “Who gave you the right?”
Daniel laughed in irritation. “What’s with that attitude? I heard my former daughter-in-law was working at the company, I came to check in. What’s wrong with that? Do I need a pass?”
“Is this how you come to see someone? Brandon retorted, “Was one Patricia this morning not enough, so you too need to come here and flex your muscles?”
Daniel’s face grew cold with anger. “Do you know what you’re saying? Is that how you speak to your father?”
“Do you even act like a father?”
Daniel was left speechless, choking on his rage, and he glanced at Sophia.
Sophia wasn’t looking at him or Brandon; she just tried carefully to pry Brandon’s hand off her wrist. She didn’t want to get caught in the father-son feud, nor did she want to stick around.
But she couldn’t break free.
Brandon’s grip was firm.
He didn’t look back at Sophia either, just kept his eyes on Daniel. “The 17th floor is not your jurisdiction. If I catch wind of you coming here again, don’t expect me to be nice.”
“And you better stay away from my people,” Brandon added, “Whether it’s my work or my personal life, it’s my own business, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. I hope you don’t use the fact that you’re my father to interfere-I don’t want to have to cut ties with you.”
With that, he pulled Sophia along and walked off without looking back.
Behind them came Daniel’s furious voice, breaking through his composure. “You ingrate, is this how you treat your own father? I raised you for nothing.”
Sophia didn’t look back at Daniel, nor did she struggle, just silently let Brandon lead her downstairs.
It wasn’t until they were in the car that Brandon finally let go of her wrist, his face still tight, not speaking a word.
Sophia didn’t speak either, just rubbed her wrist for a while before softly saying, “I’ve got an appointment with Cindy to look at houses, I should get going, it’s not nice to keep someone waiting.”
After saying this, Sophia tried to push the car door open.
But just as the door cracked open, a hand suddenly reached over from behind and slammed it shut.
Sophia looked up to see the handsome face close to hers.
Brandon was looking at her too, his eyes deep and cold.
Chapter 165
Sophia quietly met his gaze, staying silent.
She had no clue how much he’d heard or which words had set him off.
“Why don’t you speak up when they treat you like that?”
After what felt like forever, Brandon finally broke the silence, his voice cool as ice.
“Do you really not know, or is it because you never cared?” Sophia softly retorted, locking eyes with him, “That time you and your dad were talking about Yolanda in the study, he said you screwed up by drinking too much and should’ve never gone to that damn reunion. You let that woman take advantage of the situation.”
Sophia’s voice briefly faltered, as she looked at him, “That ‘woman’ he mentioned was me. A woman he wouldn’t even bother to call by name, do you think he’d ever give me the respect I deserve?”
Brandon frowned, about to speak, but Sophia cut him off, “Even if that was the first time he showed that attitude towards me in front of you, did you ever give me a chance to speak up?”
“You’re always busy, at work or otherwise,” Sophia continued, her tone still calm and measured, “Every time I psych myself up and muster the courage to talk to you, you’re either on a call or buried in emails. Then off you go, back to work. You’ve always got endless work and calls to take. Do you have any idea how long it takes for me to gear myself up, the courage I need to find just to talk to you?”
Brandon’s brow furrowed deeper, seemingly puzzled as to why she needed to prep herself to talk to him.
“Brandon.” Sophia looked into his eyes, “It’s not just your employees who are afraid of you, I am too. You’re always composed, calm, meticulous, restrained. You have so many good qualities, they make you unbeatable, but it’s this same you that I can’t feel a hint of normal human warmth from.”
“I’m just like the rest of them, always tense and unsure around you, terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing. I don’t know how to get close to you, and you’ve never signaled that I can.”
“Our relationship has never felt like husband and wife, not even close friends. We’re more like boss and subordinate than anything else.”
“They say the one who falls in love first, loses. I married you because I liked you, but I’ve never felt an ounce of that from you.” “I thought affection would grow over time, so until you learned to care about me, I couldn’t help but tread lightly, carefully considering my words and actions. I’d agonize over whether you’d dislike it if I mentioned your parents, if you’d think I was gossiping, if it would make you hate me. Should I just keep out of it, since it’s not a big deal anyway?”
“Every time I finally convinced myself to talk to you about it, you’d be either taking a call or checking emails. You never hung up the phone or shut down your computer to let me finish. Your work always came first, even while waiting for food at a restaurant, you’d still be glued to your work laptop.”
“I get tired too. After it happened over and over, I thought, forget it, I’ve got no energy left to fuss over it because, by then, I was ready to leave. I didn’t want you anymore, do you get that, Brandon?”
Towards the end, Sophia’s emotions started to unravel, her voice losing its usual calm and her eyes reddening.
This side of Sophia reminded Brandon of the time at Don’s gathering when she found out he was the client behind the project, her breakdown.
His gaze on her was complex, watching the tears slide down her cheeks. He reached out to wipe them away, but Sophia pushed his hand aside.
“Stop it, Brandon, I just don’t want you anymore. Do you understand?” Sophia choked out, pushing him away, “Everyone says you’re good to me, gentle, considerate, thoughtful, that I’m ungrateful. But all your kindness feels programmed, without warmth.”
“And your family, I can’t feel a bit of warmth from them either. They always act so high and mighty, like I’m so lucky to have married into your family.”
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so greedy to want to marry you. But I’ve paid the price already. Can’t you and your family just let me be, stop haunting me? I can take good care of myself; Ihave no emotional needs from you anymore. Can we just be strangers, just strangers, okay? uh.”
Brandon kissed her, silencing her sobs and breakdown.
Sophia pushed and hit him, letting out her frustration.
Brandon let her hit him, his hand firmly cradling the back of her head, pinning her against the car seat, kissing her more intensely.
1/2
09-14
Sophia’s fierce resistance gradually melted away under the heat of his deepening kiss.
Finally, she stopped pushing him away, but she didn’t kiss back, just letting her tears fall.
Brandon’s kissing slowed down.
He didn’t let her go, still holding her tightly, forehead resting against hers, their breath mingling together.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice low and hoarse.
“I don’t want your apology.” Sophia gently pushed him, “Brandon, you can’t keep being so fickle.”
“Just think of me as the bad guy.”
Brandon said hoarsely, looking at the wetness in the corners of her eyes, lifting a hand to tenderly wipe her tears away. Sophia looked up at him.
His expression was serious and focused, his eyes filled with an unprecedented softness and a trace of remorse.
Sophia didn’t want Brandon’s apologies.
She wasn’t trying to make him feel sorry for her.
Their marriage wasn’t just Brandon’s fault. She had her share of responsibility.
She simply wanted to move forward.
She shifted her head slightly, avoiding Brandon’s hand.
Brandon looked at her.
Chapter 166
“I’m heading out,” she murmured under her breath..
Brandon didn’t utter a word, his hand frozen in mid-air after she pushed it away, his gaze complex as he watched her. Sophia’s eyes were downcast, avoiding his gaze.
She didn’t dare look at him. This version of Brandon would just make her heartache and go all mushy.
She turned and shoved open the car door.
Brandon watched her, his hand twitched but ultimately didn’t reach out, silently observing as she got out of the car.
He didn’t stop her, nor did he dare to.
Sophia had told him many times to let her go, but never as bluntly and thoroughly as this time.
So blunt that he felt like a total jerk, unworthy of bothering her.
Maybe Sophia was right.
He didn’t care for her enough, failing to notice her needs, her grievances.
During those two years of marriage, he took her company for granted.
He relished her quiet presence, her companionship, but never pondered what she got out of the marriage.
She was smart, hardworking, had her own career and wealth. The money she earned was more than enough to satisfy her material desires. So, she didn’t need marriage for material pleasure, let alone to climb social ladders.
She never chased after such superficial things.
They married because of a child, but that child didn’t stay.
Over the following year, he considered her health and insisted on not having kids.
Although that child did briefly return after the divorce.
Thinking back to rushing to the hospital two years ago, seeing pale-faced Sophia on the bed and those words “termination of pregnancy” on the yellowed hospital report, Brandon pressed his lips tightly together, and he slightly turned his head away.
He didn’t want to touch on this topic.
Even though Sophia made that decision without his consent, Brandon knew he had no right to blame her.
So for Sophia, this marriage brought nothing but the shackles of being a Crawley daughter-in-law, with no added happiness or confidence, only forced to endure the discrimination and constraints of an unequal status.
So her choice to end the marriage, to stop walking that path with him, to start anew, wasn’t wrong at all.
Brandon knew he should let go. When she spoke so frankly about why she needed him to release her, he should’ve just honored their agreement-no clinging, no disturbance, just wishing each other well.
Wishing each other well.
The familiar spasms in his stomach surged again.
They say the stomach was an emotional organ. Every emotion in the heart could manifest as a physical response in the gut.
Brandon raised his hand to press against his stomach, glanced in the direction Sophia left, but her figure was no longer in sight.
Her departures were always decisive and without a second look back nor would she ever glance back.
Brandon somberly withdrew his gaze and started the car’s engine.
Sophia took the stairs up.
Around the corner of the lobby on the first floor, she saw Brandon’s car slowly leaving the company gate.
Her steps didn’t falter as she numbly watched the black sedan turn a corner and gradually disappear, her mind replaying Brandon’s hand suspended in mid-air and his handsome face watching her with a complex expression.
She always felt that their marriage was simply a matter of incompatibility between her and Brandon.
Their marriage wasn’t born of love, nor was it about coercion. It was a result of unilateral wishes.
So there was nothing wrong with Brandon being engrossed in his work after their wedding or not caring about her; she just wasn’t the one he truly wanted.
10
00.16
And yet, he happened to be the one she wanted, creating this imbalance.
That was why she never blamed Brandon, nor did she hate him. Even when she saw his lonely and vulnerable side, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
Fortunately, she could now rationally control these emotions.
She didn’t stop or look back, just moved forward numbly.
Behind her, the black sedan grew smaller in the distance.
One to the left, one to the right.
When she returned to the office, Cindy was already anxiously waiting. “Did that guy bother you with anything?”
Don was also in the office. He couldn’t help but look behind her as she walked in and, not seeing Brandon, he frowned slightly, putting down his work and standing up to approach Sophia.
“Everything okay?” he asked, his usual casual demeanor replaced with a more serious tone, concern barely concealed in his eyes. Sophia offered him a smile. “I’m fine.”
Don also smiled, his gaze drifting towards the elevator, not spotting Brandon, his concern deepening.
Cindy, oblivious to his worries and seeing Sophia seemingly fine, breathed a sigh of relief. “Then let’s go. We’re off to see the house.”
Sophia nodded slightly, shut down her computer, and left with Cindy.
Don lost interest in work, shut down his computer, and pulled out his phone to call Brandon.
“Where are you at?”
Brandon was aimlessly driving. “Just driving. What’s up?”
“Where are you headed? I’ll join you.”
“No need.”
Brandon hung up on Don.
Cindy and Sophia went to view a house, and as soon as they arrived at the neighborhood, Cindy noticed Sophia’s distraction. She seemed absent-minded during the viewing, not really listening to the agent, often staring into space, her expression vacant. “What’s up with you?”
Seizing a moment when the agent stepped away to take a call, Cindy asked her softly, “You seem off tonight.”
Sophia looked at her. “It’s nothing.”
But Cindy wasn’t easily brushed off. “Is it because of that older guy this afternoon?”
Sophia shook her head gently. “No.”
“Then, is it about Mr. Crawley?”
Sophia turned to her.
Cindy gave an awkward smile. “I just feel like Mr. Crawley is, well, kinda different around you. Right after you left on opening day, Mr. Crawley called me into the office and asked about you.”
Sophia paused, looking at her. “What did he ask you?”
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Chapter 167
“He asked about how we met.” Cindy brought it up, still looking totally puzzled. “No clue why he’d be into that.”
Sophia frowned. “So what did you tell him?”
“I just went with your story, of course. Said we met over a meal, your phone died, and I just casually picked up the tab for you.” “And what did Mr. Crawley say?”
“He grilled me about when and where I picked up the tab, even wanted to see proof of payment,” Cindy said, still feeling weak at the knees. “Mr. Crawley was seriously intimidating then, like he was interrogating a criminal, seemed like he didn’t buy my story at all.”
“He can be pretty intense sometimes,” Sophia chuckled, glancing at him. “Then what happened?”
“I told him I paid in cash.”
“He didn’t buy that, did he?”
Sophia could just picture Brandon’s expressionless face upon hearing that response.
“Exactly.” Cindy nodded earnestly. “He was like, ‘That’s a bit too convenient, and gave me this terrifying look. I just couldn’t stand it and, I couldn’t help it, I burst into tears.”
Sophia thought it was an unexpected turn of events.
Cindy felt a bit embarrassed. “I was seriously under a lot of pressure, couldn’t bother with anything else. And then Mr. Crawley seemed kind of speechless with me, didn’t push further, told me to go home.”
Sophia couldn’t quite picture Brandon being at a loss for words.
She had rarely cried in front of Brandon, the only time was during a dinner with Don’s team, when she found out Brandon wanted to leave, and he suddenly demanded fiercely if she had really cut ties completely, and pressed her to tell the truth about whether the child was still there. In that moment, he shattered all her defenses.
That meltdown was more about her disgust and despair over not being able to cut ties completely herself.
In the abortion clinic two years ago, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to give up the child.
Her logic told her that to sever ties with Brandon completely, the child couldn’t stay.
But when she actually lay on the operating table, she was inconsolable with tears.
It wasn’t about parting ways with Brandon, it was about not giving up on her child.
Even though she was too young to feel her heartbeat, just the thought of her coming to find Sophia, choosing her to be her mother, and Sophia cold-heartedly rejecting her, made her cry uncontrollably.
She couldn’t bear not to have her.
She was the only person in her life who had chosen her with such certainty, the only blood relative she had.
Sophia had always longed for a family, but she had a home without a home, never truly having a family of her own.
That child represented her most recent chance at having her own family, perhaps the only chance.
She was also the only one who chose her not because she resembled someone else, but simply because she wanted her to be her mother.
Sophia had the financial means to raise her independently, and she was mentally prepared to do it alone. She had everything ready, yet she still had to give up on her child because she didn’t want to have any ties with the father, Sophia thought of the little one being abandoned, reaching out with those round, helpless, scared eyes, wanting her to hold her hand, while she cruelly retreated step by step, refusing to grasp it, crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.
The doctors and nurses, seeing her so distraught, didn’t dare to proceed with the surgery and eventually wheeled her out of the operating room.
From the moment she was wheeled out of the surgery room, Sophia knew that unless the child didn’t want her, she could never give her up, no matter what.
Keeping the child and not entangling with Brandon further, leaving the father and keeping the child seemed the best way to not disturb each other.
Brandon would never know about the child, and the child’s existence wouldn’t disturb Brandon’s family and life.
10
These past two years, she’d done well, despite it being hard, she was happy and content.
She had never regretted her decision that day at the hospital.
Sophia thought life would continue to go on smoothly just like that.
But unexpectedly, she ran into Brandon again.
Out of the blue, over and over.
Especially in such encounters, when Brandon demanded so fiercely whether she had really cut ties, his piercing questions made her feel utterly disheveled, exposing all her lies.
She had not managed to cut ties with Brandon as cleanly as she had claimed.
This fact disgusted her, and her emotions just collapsed, completely uncontrollable.
That was the only time she had cried in front of Brandon.
But at that time, Brandon’s gaze remained as steely as ever in the face of her breakdown.
Sophia couldn’t imagine what Brandon’s speechless expression looked like when Cindy cried.
She had never seen him at a loss for words.
Nor could Cindy describe it.
“Anyways, it was just like, ‘Is this chick for real?’ kind of speechless,” Cindy struggled to describe it but couldn’t. “In the end, maybe he couldn’t stand a woman crying in front of him, so he let me go.”
To Cindy, it seemed like Brandon had a real distaste for women crying.
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Sophia was on board with that.
She figured Brandon probably wasn’t a fan of women crying, so during the years she knew him, whether it was senior year or the two years they were hitched, she always kept a tight lid on her emotions in front of him..
But she didn’t see it coming that Brandon would cut short his sleuthing because of Cindy’s waterworks.
“He hit you up after that?” Sophia asked.
“Nah,” Cindy shook her head, “just stopped me on my way out to peek at my phone, wanted to see the chat history with you. But chill, I wiped our chat clean, nothing left to find,” Cindy quickly added, then, unable to contain her curiosity, gave Sophia a look, “So, what’s the deal with you and Mr. Crawley?”
Sophia hesitated, “We were high school classmates.”
She skirted around the fact that they were once married.
Cindy was taken aback.
“Don’t tell me it’s one of those stories, high school sweethearts, split over some dramatic misunderstanding, now it’s a
bittersweet reunion?”
She sniffed out the scent of a reunion with Brandon, one tinged with unfulfilled longing and resentment.
Sophia just smiled. “Nah, that’s not it.”
“Mr. Crawley? Date? As if,” she said.
Cindy nodded, seeming convinced, and didn’t pry further.
Sophia didn’t elaborate either, just gently reminded her to keep the police station run-in under wraps, especially the bit about the kid. Not everyone’s cool with the idea of sperm bank babies, and she wasn’t keen on being gossiped about.
Cindy got where Sophia was coming from and agreed to keep it zipped without a fuss.
The realtor had finished a call and came back to ask about Sophia’s rental intentions.
Sophia wasn’t really in the mood to keep looking. The place was a simple two-bedroom flat, more than enough for a studio..
The complex had a prime location, with good schools, parks, and shopping nearby, not too far from her company, but not too close either-just the right distance from the Crawleys and out of Brandon’s commuting path.
Plus, the complex was fairly new, with decent property management and cleanliness. The internal greenery and kids’ facilities were on point, making it a good bang for the buck.
“I’ll take this one,” Sophia said.
“Great!” The realtor was ecstatic, “So, about the one upstairs.”
He wanted to know if Sophia was still interested in taking a look at the larger apartment upstairs, a spacious three-bedroom spot. with better interior design and natural light.
Sophia had initially wanted to see the upstairs unit first, but upon meeting him, she opted to check out the two-bedroom instead.
Sophia knew what he was about to ask and cut him off. “This one’s good.”
“Alright, the realtor agreed promptly.
Sophia and Cindy followed him back to the shop to sign the lease.
After the paperwork, Sophia treated Cindy to a meal and called her a ride.
It was only after the taxi had disappeared into the distance that Sophia headed back to the real estate office.
“Let’s have a look at the big three-bedder upstairs,” she said.
The realtor was puzzled, not used to someone wanting to see more flats right after signing a lease.
“I’ve got a friend who’s also looking to rent,” Sophia explained.
Naturally, the realtor was thrilled and quickly escorted Sophia back to see the apartment.
It was just above the seventh-floor unit she’d rented, on the eighth floor, a short climb away.
The layout, orientation, and light were indeed better than the smaller flat, with a cozy, warm off-white decor and even a kids room ready to go.
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Sophia was pleased and signed the rental contract on the spot.
She signed on behalf of someone else, renting under the name Susan.
By the time she got back to her hotel, it was past eleven.
Her room felt empty yet still haunted by Brandon’s presence and the remnants of last night’s intimacy.
Just the night before, a tipsy her and a furious Brandon had tangled out of control on that king-sized bed.
The bed still held echoes of their reckless abandon.
Sophia averted her gaze and rang the front desk, asking for a room change.
Sophia spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was a jumbled mess of images-Brandon’s hand frozen in mid-air, his complex gaze on her, Patricia’s haughty stare, Daniel’s condescending interrogations, asking why she came back, and then the loneliness of sitting in the living room of an empty marital home, watching Brandon rush out the door.
Brandon wasn’t sleepy either.
Alone on the living room couch, he stared out the window at the winding river below, its lights shimmering in the darkness, and suddenly remembered senior year, the first time he met Sophia.
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