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.

this tiny place where she and Brandon had their one-night stand, which led to the pregnancy that bound them together

couldn’t resist her buddy Susan Cooper’s

who never showed up to these things,

reunions. They were like

Brandon had vanished

Whenever Sophia casually prodded her high school friends, there

crush she never dared to voice was swirling in her chest, but she never found the courage to

she hid

of neighborly duty, volunteered to take her home

as soon as she entered. Brandon, quick 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

wasnt one for casual hook-ups. She’d never even had a boyfriend, but that night,

gaze and the man she’d fantasized about countless

indulged to the

be as green

family background and looks, it was impossible he couldn’t

over those two years, Sophia understood why Brandon had been single a man wholly devoted to his work didn’t have the spare effort or

made him a stickler for

probably the only slip-up in his

And for Sophia, too.

had her life

majored in architectural design in college and 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 Architecture of Apex Engineering University. But one unexpected night threw a wrench

never saw it coming. She

loose a little too much, they both overslept the next

to 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 was caught

out she was pregnant,

marriage, having the kid and all that

night, and they hadn’t been in touch since. Sophia hadn’t planned on telling Brandon in

was a bit red-faced and wanted to keep the

she was hiding behind

“Let me see

sentence, but it was laced with an aura that brooked no

handed over the

a bit, Brandon

shook her head, clueless. She hadn’t anticipated this baby,

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

“Getting married?”

her leg, but then she saw

couple of days to mull

years, but she never imagined that one day he’d pop

to think it over and then told Brandon, “So, let’s

they picked

somehow it

Sophia never imagined that she and the kid weren’t

did she expect her marriage to Brandon to fizzle out before their third

start

two years felt

her house, Sophia felt

replayed the night she almost tripped over a shoe and

and the emotional turmoil in his eyes, and

had thought that was

for many years, which led to that night’s

the case. He was just a bit too

heart ached

tiff between Brandon and his father in the study a few

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, and that child

reasons. Mind

leads to trouble, and look at you. Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go to some damn reunion, and next thing you know, that woman sneaks

abruptly cut off his father Daniel Crawley, his tone icy. This

to her defense I’m just

“She’s never coming back”

of the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually calm demeanor. Clearly, this “Yolanda girl held a special place in his

first time Sophia had heard the name Yolanda,