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 stand, which led to the pregnancy that bound them

resist her buddy Susan Cooper’s begging and tagged along

never showed up to these

group chats or reunions. They were like ships passing in the night, briefly crossing paths before vanishing into their

Brandon had vanished

or what he’d done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded her high

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

show, she hid behind eating and drinking, unwittingly

perhaps out of neighborly duty, volunteered to take her home

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

She’d never even had a boyfriend, but that night, she got lost

and the man

the

be as green as her

background and looks, it was impossible he couldn’t have

been single a man wholly devoted to his work didn’t have the

him a stickler for clean

was probably the only

And for Sophia, too.

had her life all

and was already getting her ducks in a row to apply to the School of Architecture of

it coming. She

because they let loose a

pill. She was also kind of ng her fingers, hoping that she was in the clear since it was supposedly

Sophis found out she was pregnant, she was at sixes and

Brandon was talking marriage, having

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 at the hospital where he

red-faced and wanted to keep the test results under

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

“Let me see

was laced with an aura

Sophia handed over

bit,

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

said. “But the ball’s in your court.

“Getting married?”

thought Brandon was pulling her leg, but then she saw him nod

couple of days to

sweet on Brandon for years, but she never imagined that one day

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

they picked up their

yet somehow

imagined that she and the kid weren’t meant

Brandon to fizzle out

whirlwind start and a whirlwind

past two years

her house,

replayed the night she almost tripped over a shoe and he caught her, the intense look in his eyes haunting

emotional turmoil in his eyes, and even

thought that was

had harbored feelings for many years, which led to

wasn’t the case. He was just a bit too tipsy, that’s

heart ached with

a tiff between Brandon and his father in the study a few days

things with Sophia. It just so happened that she was pregnant with. your child, so I didn’t say much. It

reasons. Mind your

can i not? They say liquor leads to trouble, and look at you. Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go to some damn

off his father Daniel Crawley, his

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

“She’s never coming back”

Brandon’s voice faded a bit. It was one of the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually calm demeanor. Clearly, this “Yolanda girl

first time Sophia had heard the name Yolanda,