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 one-night stand, which led to the pregnancy

Cooper’s begging and

who never showed up to

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

had vanished even more

he’d gone or what he’d done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded her high school friends, there

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 right next to her their

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

of neighborly duty, volunteered to take

alone, and although she was a bit drunk, she wasn’t out cold. 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

never even had a boyfriend, but that night,

the gaze and the man she’d fantasized about countless

indulged to the fullest,

be as green as her in love and

it was impossible he couldn’t have had a

been single a man wholly

also made him a stickler for

night was probably the only slip-up in

And for Sophia, too.

life all mapped

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

it

loose a little too much, they both overslept the next

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

pregnant, she was at sixes

talking marriage, having

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

was a bit red-faced and wanted to keep the test results under wraps, but it was too

she was hiding behind

“Let me see

calm sentence, but it was laced with an

Sophia handed over

the report for a bit, Brandon asked her, “What’s

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

“But the ball’s in

“Getting married?”

She thought Brandon was pulling her leg,

a couple of days

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

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

the third day, they picked

somehow

and the kid weren’t

her marriage to Brandon to

start

years

house, Sophia felt an aching

almost tripped over a shoe and he caught her, the intense look in

his eyes, and even now,

had thought that

had harbored feelings for many years, which led to that

the case. He was

heart ached with this

remembered overhearing a tiff between Brandon and his father in the study a few days ago when

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

got my reasons. Mind

Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go to some damn reunion,

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

her. Every time she comes up, you jump to her defense I’m just asking, what if Yolanda comes back?

“She’s never coming back”

moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually calm demeanor. Clearly, this “Yolanda

heard the name Yolanda, and she felt a bit