The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 226

Sophia flashed her daughter a comforting smile, "It's pouring outside. Mommy got soaked, so I need to go inside and change out of these wet clothes. Don't worry, darling."

Theresa nodded, somewhat confused, "Emm."

She then quickly urged her mother, "Mommy, hurry."

Sophia chuckled and nodded, "Alrighty."

She took a hot shower.

The warmth washed away the day's exhaustion and the puffiness from her eyes.

When Sophia emerged from the bathroom, she felt refreshed and reinvigorated.

The ever-curious Susan immediately pounced on her with a bit of juicy gossip, "Your senior declared his love for you today?"

Sophia gave her a glance, "Where did you hear that?"

Susan shrugged, "C'mon, it wasn't a secret meeting; other students were there too, you know."

The other students who were invited too had been witnesses to the declaration, with one even broadcasting it live in the class group chat.

Sophia, not a member of the group chat, was unaware of this whole thing.

"Why did you turn down your senior?" Susan asked curiously, actually quite supportive of Ivan.

Back in college, it was evident that Ivan was fond of Sophia. But probably due to graduation, living in different cities, or something else, he had disappeared after graduation and hadn't pursued her further.

Sophia paused mid-hair-dry at Susan's words, then looked at her and said, "Isn't that just another Brandon in making?"

Susan paused, struck by the comparison, but then shook her head.

"That's different," she countered, "with Brandon, you were smitten. With Ivan, he's the one smitten with you. Loving and being loved definitely not the same thing."

Sophia looked at her, "That would only make another 'Sophia.' I know all too well the bitterness of unrequited love. I'm not about to mislead an honest man. Ivan deserves better."

Susan fell silent.

"But you didn't even give him a chance. What if that constantly being around someone might kindle something?" Susan, after quite a while, found her voice again.

"We had spent a whole year together when he was our class advisor," Sophia explained, "followed by another two years as classmates in Wye City. If there were any sparks, we would have felt them a long time ago."

Susan persisted, "But circumstances were different back then. The first time you were hung up on Brandon, the second time you were pregnant. How could you possibly notice someone else's good qualities?"

Sophia stood firm, "And that's exactly why I can't toy with his affections."

"You haven't hidden anything from him. If he's pursuing willing, how can it be called 'toy with his affections'?"

"Stringing him along without reciprocation is toying," Sophia said, looking at Susan seriously, "Susan, love should be mutual. Unrequited love is unfair to the one pouring their heart out. It can't endure. Eventually, the imbalance and exhaustion will set in."

"What about Brandon, then?" Susan asked, "I've heard he caused quite a scene today."

Sophia's face grew colder, "Susan, I don't want to talk about him."

Susan looked at Sophia worriedly-it was the first time she had seen Sophia so emphatically refuse to discuss Brandon.

Even the little girl playing nearby sensed the shift in the atmosphere, her big, expressive eyes fixed on Sophia in confusion.

Sophia looked back at Theresa with thoughtful eyes.

word, she simply squatted down and gently petted her head. Theresa

"Not at all."

then lifted her,

"Yeah!"

immediately brightened up at the change of subject, eagerly handing Sophia blocks on the

accepting the blocks, "Tell Mommy where to

to place the blocks,

daughter's joyful expression in profile, Sophia found herself momentarily

angles, bore

Zachary's mansion, Brandon got straight into his

even bothering with his own vehicle.

joining Brandon in his car, offering to be

of commission, Don didn't trust

throughout. He didn't ask Don to

severely injured, the shards of glass embedded deep in the flesh, tiny

couldn't help but frown at the sight, "What happened there?" "Crappy

and couldn't resist glancing

picking out glass with tweezers, and

glancing at Brandon

impassively letting

treatment lasted for

show pain, nor did he utter

found it hard to say anything

involved with each other to have a clear

for over two decades; he knew him inside

affected him. It took him a while to recover from the dark period with Yolanda's support, only to lose

losses had molded his view on life into something quite

or through death, loved ones

arm's length, and you avoid the

keep pets and kept his distance from

from emotions to ensure that no one's departure could cause him

but it was precisely his restraint

to be the

tell just how much she

his inner struggle was

head and heart.

remove any disruptive elements from his life,

composure

when it came down to severing

no clue how long Brandon

dropped him off at his apartment complex, he

"You good, Brandon?"

"I'm fine."

two words, spoken

finished

no need to worry about me," he added in his typically

tone.

paused, and couldn't resist asking,

"Don't bother with her."

Brandon cut him off.

was clearly not in the

keep an eye on that wound," Don said before

After all, Brandon was