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.

had their

couldn’t resist her buddy Susan Cooper’s begging and tagged along

guy who never showed up to these

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

vanished

what he’d done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded her

Brandon after all these years, Sophia was 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

and afraid it’d show, she hid behind eating

of neighborly duty, volunteered to

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

boyfriend, but that night, she got lost in Brandon’s

the man she’d fantasized

they indulged to the fullest, both inexperienced but incredibly

as green as her in love and other

was impossible he couldn’t have

Sophia understood why Brandon had been single a man wholly devoted to his work didn’t have the spare effort or time for

him a stickler for clean

the only slip-up in

And for Sophia, too.

life all mapped

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 into

never saw it coming.

because they let loose a little too much, they both overslept the next day.

ng her fingers, hoping that

Sophis found out she was pregnant, she was at sixes

talking marriage, having the

and they hadn’t been in touch since. Sophia hadn’t planned on telling Brandon in the first place, but as luck would have it, she bumped into him

to keep the test results under wraps, but

report she was hiding behind her back,

“Let me see

it was

handed over the

at the report for a bit,

baby, and its arrival had totally scrambled

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

“Getting married?”

her leg, but then

couple of days to mull

on Brandon for years, but she never imagined that one

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

they picked up

seemed absurd, yet somehow it all fell

Sophia never imagined that she and the kid

to Brandon to fizzle out before their third

was a whirlwind start and a whirlwind

past two years

by familiar things in her house,

tripped over a shoe and

and the emotional turmoil in his eyes, and even now,

thought that

like her, had harbored feelings for

He was just a bit

ached

remembered overhearing a tiff between Brandon and his father in the

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, and that child wasn’t meant to be with you guys You’re not planning

my reasons. Mind your own

you wouldn’t date anyone, and then

cut off his father Daniel Crawley, his tone

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

“She’s never coming back”

she could detect a different

time Sophia had heard the name Yolanda, and she