The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 2

Brandon bee-lined home.

It was his first time ducking out of work to head back

His pad, spick and span, no longer had any traces of Sophia, except for that divorce agreement on the coffee table, all mussed up by the breeze.

Brandon reached for it

The agreement was straightforward. Sophia didn’t want a thing. What was hers before the marriage stayed hers after

Her signature was already on the dotted line

Her handwriting was gorgeous, all flowy and elegant.

Brandon zoned out staring at the signature on the divorce papers.

No clue how much time had passed when the rustling sound of the door opening snapped him back to reality

Brandon whipped his head toward the entrance.

Patricia had just stepped in, and his sudden glance startled her big time

“What’s up?” she asked, puzzled, clearly noticing the flicker of hope on Brandon’s face slowly fade into dead calm.

“Nothing much, he replied coolly. “What brings you here?”

“I was worried Sophia might be bored stiff at home alone, just dropped by to keep her company, Patricia said with a smile, moving towards him, “What’s with the sudden home run today? Something up with Sophia?”

As she spoke, her brows furrowed with concern, her head turning towards the room.

“She’s fine, Brandon said, looking at her, “Do you drop by often?”

“Not really, just now and then.”

Patricia’s face was painted with awkward embarrassment, and upon finishing her sentence, she saw Brandon’s brow furrow

She quickly changed the subject to the papers in Brandon’s hand “What’s that?”

Reaching to grab them, but before her fingertips could touch the documents, Brandon pressed them down first.

“It’s nothing. Brandon said, looking at Patricia, “No need for you to come over if there’s no issue. Sophia’s got her work. cut out for her. We’ll come visit you when we get the chance.”

“She, Patricia began, almost blurting out “What work could she possibly have?” but quickly bit her tongue, “Alright then.

She couldn’t help but remind Brandon, Sophia’s been recuperating for over a year and still no baby bump. I hope she hasn’t got some lingering issues. Have her get checked at the hospital when she can. I wouldn’t want troubles with having kids later.

Brandon said. “It’s the kid I didn’t want.”

Patricia looked at him, baffled

Brandon issued the boot. “You better head back, and don’t come around unless it’s necessary.”

Patricia’s mouth hung open, wanting to protest, but ultimately, she shut it under Brandon’s icy stare, and turned to leave.

Brandon watched the door close, glanced around the house now devoid of Suphia’s presence, heaved a long sigh, picked up his phone, and dialed his assistant Kent. “Kent, set up a meeting with the lawyer, gotta sort out this divorce

Huh? Kent was taken aback. Wasn’t it just yesterday he’d sent Sophia over? They didn’t seem to be at odds.

Brandon hall aiready hung up, tossing the divorce papers on the coffee table and stepping out the door

Sophia moved back to her smell suburban house.

Chapter

She’d bought it before getting hitched, just the right size for her solo living.

Brandon had their one-night stand, which led

resist her buddy Susan Cooper’s begging and tagged along

would’ve thought Brandon, the guy who never showed up to

high school, she and Brandon lost all contact, didn’t join the class group chats or reunions. They were like ships passing in the night, briefly

vanished

or what he’d done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded her high school friends, there wasn’t a

mix of thrilled and nervous. The crush she never dared to voice was swirling in her chest, but she never found the courage to spill it, even talking to him was stiff and formal, especially with him sitting right next to her their proximity made her even stiff

show, she hid behind eating and drinking, unwittingly

volunteered to take

on the uptake, caught her and in the inertia of the moment, she ended up in his arms. The lights were off, Brandon had had a few himself, and whether it was the booze or the night’s spell, when their gazes met, the chemistry was undeniable. Alone, tipsy, and with the man she’d

never even had a boyfriend, but that

gaze and the man she’d fantasized

to the fullest, both

hadn’t expected Brandon to be as green as her in love

and looks, it was impossible he

years, Sophia understood why Brandon had been single a man wholly devoted to his work didn’t

strict upbringing also made him

the

And for Sophia, too.

her life all mapped

had a decent amount of talent and skills. She was looking to get some advanced training and was already getting her ducks in a row to apply to the School of

never saw it coming. She was

night, and because they let loose a little too much, they both overslept the next

rush to, she didn’t have time to swing by the pharmacy for the morning-after pill. She was also kind of ng her fingers, hoping that she was in the clear since it was supposedly her safe period. But as fate would have it. she

Sophis found out she was pregnant,

was talking marriage, having the

Brandon in the first place, but as luck would have it, she bumped into him at the hospital where he was

was a bit red-faced and wanted to keep the test results under wraps, but it was too

she was hiding behind

“Let me see

it was laced with an aura that

Sophia handed over the

bit, Brandon asked her, “What’s your game

She hadn’t anticipated this baby,

having the baby, Brandon said. “But the ball’s in your court. If you’re not up

“Getting married?”

Brandon was pulling her leg, but then

gave her a couple of

sweet on Brandon for years, but she never imagined that one day he’d pop

it over and then told Brandon, “So,

the third day, they picked up their marriage

seemed absurd, yet somehow it all fell into

that she and the kid weren’t

expect her marriage to Brandon to fizzle out before

whirlwind start and a

years felt

familiar things in her house, Sophia felt an

tripped over a shoe and he caught her,

the emotional turmoil in his eyes, and even now, her heart skipped a beat at

thought

for many years, which led to

the case. He was just a bit

heart ached with

overhearing a tiff between Brandon and his father in the study a few days ago when she was visiting his

was gravely ill back then. He was fond of you and wanted to see you married before he passed. You didn’t want him to leave with regrets, so you rushed things with Sophia. It just so happened that she was pregnant with. your child, so I didn’t say much. It gave your grandpa peace, but it’s been two years,

my reasons. Mind your own

Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go

his father Daniel Crawley, his tone icy. This is my fault, not

time she comes up, you jump to her defense I’m just asking, what if

“She’s never coming back”

Brandon’s voice faded a bit. It was one of the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually calm demeanor. Clearly, this “Yolanda

had heard the name Yolanda, and she felt a