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.

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

buddy Susan Cooper’s begging and

who never showed up to these things,

all contact, didn’t join the class group chats or reunions. They were like ships passing in the night, briefly crossing paths

vanished even more

or what he’d done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded

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

afraid it’d show, she hid behind eating and drinking,

duty, volunteered to take her

tiny one-room house, she tripped over shoes left by the door 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 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

casual hook-ups. She’d never even had a boyfriend, but that night, she got lost in Brandon’s deep. soft, yet

gaze and the

the fullest, both inexperienced but

expected Brandon to be as green as her in love and

it was impossible he couldn’t have had

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

also made him a

was probably the only slip-up in his

And for Sophia, too.

had her life all

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

never saw it coming. She was

that night, and because they let loose a little too

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

out she was pregnant,

marriage, having the kid

been in touch since. Sophia hadn’t planned on telling Brandon in the first place,

the test results under wraps,

was hiding behind her back, and

“Let me see

a simple, calm sentence, but it was laced with an aura that

handed

a bit, Brandon

shook her head, clueless. She hadn’t anticipated this baby, and its arrival had totally scrambled her life

baby, Brandon said. “But the ball’s in

“Getting married?”

was pulling her leg, but

couple of days to mull it

Brandon for years, but she never imagined that one

over and then told Brandon, “So, let’s tie the knot.” Just like during a divorce, he simply nodded

the third day, they picked up their

seemed absurd, yet somehow it all fell

and the kid

she expect her marriage to Brandon to fizzle

start and a whirlwind

two years felt

things in her house, Sophia felt an aching

night she almost tripped over a shoe and he caught her,

turmoil in his eyes, and even now, her

thought that was

harbored feelings for many years, which

was just a bit too tipsy, that’s

heart ached with this

father in the study a

was pregnant with. your child, so I didn’t say much. It

reasons. Mind

Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go to some damn reunion, and next thing you know, that woman sneaks into your

cut off his father Daniel Crawley, his tone icy.

her defense I’m just

“She’s never coming back”

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

heard the