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.

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

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

thought Brandon, the guy who never showed

join the class group chats or reunions. They were like

had vanished even more

done. Whenever Sophia casually

bumping into 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

she hid behind eating and

perhaps out of neighborly duty, volunteered to take her home

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 away

but that night, she got lost in Brandon’s deep. soft, yet intense

the gaze and the man she’d fantasized about countless

the fullest, both inexperienced

hadn’t expected Brandon to be as green as her

looks, it was impossible he couldn’t have had

those two years, Sophia understood why Brandon had been single a man wholly devoted to his work didn’t have the spare effort or

him a stickler for

the

And for Sophia, too.

had her life

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 all

it coming. She

loose a little too much, they both overslept the

ng her fingers, hoping that she was in the clear since it was supposedly her

found out she was pregnant, she was at sixes

marriage, having

night, 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

red-faced and wanted to keep the test results

was hiding behind her back, and reached out for

“Let me see

simple, calm sentence, but it was laced with an aura

Sophia handed

at the report for a bit,

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

and having the baby, Brandon said. “But the ball’s in

“Getting married?”

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

couple of days

sweet on Brandon for years, but she never imagined that

told Brandon, “So, let’s tie the knot.” Just like during a divorce, he simply

third day, they picked up

absurd, yet somehow it all fell into

imagined that she and the kid weren’t meant to

to Brandon

a whirlwind start

years felt

familiar things in her house, Sophia felt an

shoe and he

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

thought that

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

the case. He was just a bit

heart ached

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

grandpa 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,

got my reasons. Mind

and look at you. Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and

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

jump to her defense I’m just asking, what

“She’s never coming back”

faded a bit. It was one of the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in

heard the name Yolanda, and she felt a bit