The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 272

Susan chuckled and gave her shoulder a pat, "Chill out, don't overthink it. Trust that everything happens for a reason."

Sophia cracked a smile and nodded gently, "Yeah."

She carried Theresa back upstairs, tucked her in, took a shower, and then hit the sack.

When lights out came, Sophia habitually glanced at her phone and noticed a message from Brandon.

Puzzled, she picked it up.

His message was short and sweet. [Got home.]

Sophia stared at that message, kinda lost in thought.

Back when she and Brandon weren't divorced, their exchanges were pretty much limited to this sorta stuff.

[Working late, hit the hay without me.]

[Got a client dinner, don't wait up.]

And it would always end with her replying, [Okay.]

Seeing a message like that now, Sophia still felt a twinge of that old resistance.

But she replied anyway with one word. [Okay.]

She was about to set the phone down when it buzzed again with a new message. [Still up?] It was Brandon again.

That kind of small talk was something he would never have wasted time on in the past.

Their interactions were all about keeping each other posted.

Sophia's gaze lingered on the phone, slightly torn, but she eventually responded. [About to sleep.]

She thought about texting back, [How come you're not asleep yet?] After typing it out, Sophia deleted the message, not really wanting to drag out the conversation.

In the past, she tried following up with messages, cautiously asking things like, [Working late again?] But she'd just get his cool, reasoned explanations in return, making her queries seem a bit childish by comparison.

Back then, she was still head over heels for Brandon, easily fretting over every little thing. A simple inquiry could make her anxious, afraid of coming off as too inconsiderate, worried that it might turn him off. So eventually, she stopped asking.

Now, there wasn't that same sense of anxiety, just a feeling that there was no need to prolong the discussion.

She muted her phone and put it down without giving it another thought.

That night she didn't sleep well - her dreams were full of the polite distance of those two years of marriage and Daniel and Patricia's sharp tongues.

In the wee hours, she woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare, startling Theresa, who was sleeping next to her.

Theresa peered at her with bleary eyes, uncertain, "Mommy?"

Sophia held her tight and whispered soothingly, "It's okay."

Theresa quickly fell back asleep with her mom's reassurance.

But Sophia couldn't catch any more Z's.

It had been almost two years since she last had a nightmare, especially one about that marriage.

just before dawn and was rudely awakened by her alarm

the alarm and decided to snooze for a

clothes, grabbed her phone and bag, and dashed out the door, making sure to hail a cab. Standing at the

sight of Brandon's car parked

She was taken aback.

the car and was looking at her,

him, "What are you doing

already opening the passenger door,

hesitated, eyeing his

be friends, so

know what

to force you. Or we can just stand here and wait, I'm

Sophia looked at him.

calm, but there was an undertone of

lips and finally

passenger door and

up and the car pulled away, a warm breakfast was

to eat

His voice was steady.

him; he was focused

the assertiveness from moments

"Thanks."

murmured her thanks and

last night?" Brandon glanced

her head slightly, "No, just

hummed in acknowledgment and went

say anything more, just opened the breakfast bag and

breakfast,

she finally had a chance to

reply

[Okay, sleep early.]

pick you up in the

message, she felt a

and went to

it."

replied lightly, glancing at her

embarrassed and nodded, "Yeah, overslept

look at him again, hesitated, but finally asked,

Brandon said, "Just got

catching sight of a breakfast spot near a mall, and turned to ask her, "Is that enough

head slightly,

bag, "I

at the bag in her hand,

Sophia wasn't a big eater, especially for breakfast - an egg, a glass of milk, and a sandwich were usually enough for her.

was mostly taken care of by Sophia. Nothing fancy, but it was

head to the office on my own. No need for you

Sophia softly said as she

waste

at her, not a

it tomorrow," he said

Sophia nodded gently. "Mhm."

the car arrived at the underground parking of