The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 3

And Kent was stumped.

Brandon said, “Aren’t you busy at work?”-

Kent shook his head like a madman. “Busy, super busy.”

He sneaked a peek at the darkness outside the window and couldn’t help but give a little nudge. “Mr. Crawley, it’s way past quitting time, and, uh, I’ve got an appointment to check out a place with a realtor, can I take off now?”

Brandon glanced at the time on his computer-it was already past seven.

He gave a nod “Mhm.”

Thanks. Mr. Crawley. After a hurried thank you, Kent did a quick tidy up and bolted out the door.

When the office door shut, Brandon finally lifted his gaze from the computer, his eyes lingering on the closed door for a moment before drifting to the vast night outside the window.

It was the time when thousands of homes were lit up, and the lights in the distant neighborhood were twinkling like

stars.

Brandon’s mind wandered to the lights at home and Sophia, always curled up on the couch sketching.

Sophia’s face flashed through his mind, and Brandon’s expression softened. He pulled his eyes away from the window and back to the computer screen. His long fingers hit the keyboard, ready to dive back into work, but after typing just one character, he stopped. The designs and spreadsheets that once captivated him now seemed bland.

With a swift move, Brandon pushed the keyboard away, stood up, yanked his suit jacket off the coat rack, grabbed the car keys from his desk, and left.

Once in the car, his emotions gradually settled down.

Brandon let out a sigh, started the engine, and slowly drove off.

Outside the window, the busy streets were a blur of light and color, a hive of activity. Brandon drove aimlessly, not wanting to go home.

As he passed by Sophia’s neighborhood, Kent’s words burst into his mind unannounced. “Looks like Sophia’s gonna sell the house.”

Brandon couldn’t help but glance at the entrance to her complex.

Just then, Sophia emerged, and their eyes met in a fleeting moment as she paused.

Brandon saw her too, his gaze coolly sweeping over her face.

Sophia managed a strained smile.

Brandon coldly looked away.

Sophia felt awkward, gave a self-macking chuckle, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Brandon called out to her, “Are you going out?”

His voice was as calm and steady as ever

Sophia looked at him surprised and nodded. “Yeah, just need to pick up a few things.”

Brandon nodded and said nothing more.

was the norm for

just gave

another sound, didn’t follow her, but he didn’t leave

his car still parked there through the glass of a

Chapter

to buy a new bulb for

bulb, Sophia

unavoidably locked

pretend he wasn’t there, but they had been like strangers in their mamage, so she couldn’t be overly friendly either. When their eyes met again, she gave a slight

his presence heavy, making

the door and followed her up the stairs

Sophia didn’t say anything.

trailed behind her all the way to

bear it and turned

Brandon said, “No”

Sophia was silent

any food at

help but remind

an old friend swing by for a

hesitatingly

hand, his

nodded. “Yeah, the bathroom bulb burned

out.

I can

was cut short as Brandon

reaching the light. Sophia, worried about electrical hazards, said,

flashlight to help him see. “Can you see

deep, steady voice came from above as he skillfully removed the

seemed like smart folks have a knack for figuring things out. His movements were smooth and decisive, a

She watched, transfixed.

staring, caught off guard by his gaze. She awkwardly tugged at her lips, stepping back to

from her retreating legs to her face, lingering on

silence made Sophia

check if the light’s

suddenly caught, her phone dropped, and a light filled the

heart skipped a beat, and before she knew it, Brandon had pulled

his hand smoothly slid from her wrist to wrap tightly around her waist, while his other hand fell to the back of her head, lifting her face towards

Chapter

kiss.

instinctively tried to

around her waist and the back of her skull suddenly

Sophia couldn’t resist

to fill

Sophia against the wall, kissing her somewhat

emotion she couldn’t quite understand Confused, but without a chance to delve deeper, the kiss became more intense, teetering on the edge of losing control, when the piercing ringtone of the cellphone shattered

abruptly stopped, keeping her from seeing his face,

clearly sense his breathing

her go, turned to pick up the ringing phone for the second time, and

said softly, not looking up at him, just silently taking the phone and

to the electrical switch

retreating figure as a female voice came through the phone. “Is this