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.

tiny place where she and Brandon had their one-night

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

never showed up to these things, would be

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

vanished even more

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

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,

she hid behind eating and

duty, volunteered to take her home after the

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 man she’d pined

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

the man she’d fantasized about countless

night, they indulged to the

to be as green

background and looks, it was

had been single a man wholly devoted to his work

strict upbringing also made him a stickler for

probably the only slip-up in

And for Sophia, too.

her life

She was looking to get some advanced training and was already getting

saw it coming. She was

hadn’t played it safe that night, and because they let loose a little too much, they both overslept the next day.

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

found out she was pregnant,

Brandon was talking marriage, having the kid and all

Sophia hadn’t planned on telling Brandon in the first place, but as luck would have it, she bumped into him at the hospital where he

the test results under wraps, but

HCG report she was hiding behind her back, and reached out

“Let me see

was laced with an aura that brooked

Sophia handed

bit, Brandon asked her, “What’s

anticipated this baby, and its arrival had totally scrambled her life

leaning towards us getting married and having the baby, Brandon said. “But the ball’s

“Getting married?”

was pulling her leg, but

of days

she never imagined that one day he’d

longing, she took two days to think it over and then told Brandon, “So, let’s tie the

third day, they

seemed absurd, yet somehow

and the kid weren’t meant to

she expect her marriage to Brandon to fizzle out before their

a whirlwind start

years felt like

in her house, Sophia felt an aching

and he caught her, the intense look in

turmoil in his eyes, and even now, her heart

thought that

had harbored feelings for many years, which led to that night’s

He was just a

ached

in the study a few days ago when she was visiting

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 to drag this

my reasons. Mind

liquor leads to trouble, and look at you. Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you

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

I won’t talk about her. Every time she comes up, you jump to her defense I’m

“She’s never coming back”

tell that Brandon’s voice faded a bit. It was one of the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually

first time Sophia had heard the name Yolanda, and she felt