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.

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

her buddy Susan Cooper’s begging and tagged along to the high

who never showed up to

or reunions. They were like ships passing in

had vanished even more

one knew where he’d gone or what he’d done. Whenever Sophia

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

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

perhaps out of neighborly duty, volunteered

Still, the alcohol did a number on her balance. In 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 man she’d pined over for years, their locked eyes became impossible to break

hook-ups. She’d never even had a boyfriend, but

and the man she’d fantasized about

they indulged to the fullest, both inexperienced but incredibly

be as green as her in love and

and looks, it was impossible he couldn’t have

Brandon had been single a man wholly

upbringing also made him

was probably the only slip-up in his

And for Sophia, too.

life all

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

never saw it coming. She

loose a

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

pregnant, she was at

having the kid and all

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 at the hospital where he was

wanted to keep the test results under wraps, but it

she was hiding behind her back, and reached out

“Let me see

simple, calm sentence, but it was laced with an

Sophia handed

for a bit, Brandon asked her, “What’s your

clueless. She hadn’t anticipated this baby, and its arrival had totally

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

“Getting married?”

leg, but

gave her a couple of days to mull it

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

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

the third day, they picked up

seemed absurd, yet somehow

Sophia never imagined that she and the

her marriage to Brandon

start and a whirlwind

past two years felt like a

by familiar things in her house, Sophia felt an aching

almost tripped over a shoe and

remember the focus and the emotional turmoil in his eyes, and

thought that

her, had harbored feelings for

case. He was just a bit too tipsy,

ached with this

a tiff between Brandon and his father in the study a

so happened that she was pregnant with. your child, so I didn’t say

my reasons.

Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go to some damn reunion, and next thing you know,

off his father Daniel Crawley, his tone

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

“She’s never coming back”

the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually calm demeanor.

first time Sophia had heard the