The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 533

Brandon's throat tightened as he gently wrapped his arms around her.

"She..." Brandon started, his voice meant to comfort Theresa, but the words just wouldn't come out; he was choked up pretty badly.

He pulled Theresa in closer, saying nothing. She was held so tight she could barely move.

Lifting her head slightly, she looked towards Susan and Grace with a lost and confused expression, hesitantly calling out, "Godmom?"

Susan fought back a lump in her throat, her voice hoarse as she told her, "She had to go work on something, and it might be a while before she can come back."

It was a simple sentence, but Susan choked up a few times saying it. But Theresa wasn't buying it; her expression remained vacant, tinged with disappointment.

"But Mommy promised she'd hang out with me today, that we'd go out and have fun with Daddy."

Her voice was soft, and the childish timbre couldn't hide the hurt.

The moment she finished talking, she felt her father's arms tighten around her suddenly, squeezing a bit painfully.

Confused, she looked up at Brandon and called out, "Daddy?"

Susan noticed Brandon's tall frame shudder slightly, as if he was fighting to keep his emotions in check, and she too looked his way.

Brandon held Theresa close, his face buried in her back, away from everyone.

His voice was raspy and a bit choked, "she didn't mean to break her promise to Theresa; she's just tied up with something, we just need to eat well, sleep well, and wait patiently for Mommy, okay?"

Theresa hesitated, "how long do we have to

right away; every word from Theresa was like a knife

recent fuss of not letting Sophia go alone wasn't about being scared by Daniel at all; no, the strong and sensible little girl wouldn't

sensed that her mom's departure could mean a

an adult, she resorted to

signals. Regret slithered through Brandon like a venomous snake

and again, Theresa had been giving him chances, pleading for his help to rescue Sophia. But time and again, he had

only to be forcefully swallowed back

at the thought of Sophia. Not wanting to upset Theresa

the room silently,

sad eyes fixed on Brandon; she could hear her father crying. But he didn't respond to her.

His voice was a broken whisper near her

Theresa," each apology more strained

sorry, it's Daddy's fault. I didn't keep Mommy safe. I'm sorry. Daddy

didn't fully understand, but seeing her dad cry made her heart ache, making her want to cry too. But her young mind reasoned that when she cried, her parents would comfort her, so she tried to do the same, struggling to free her arm from Brandon's tight hold. Then, opening her arms, she tried her best to embrace him, gently patting his back, and

childish, tender words only deepened Brandon's pain. For the first time, he realized how powerless he was in the face of life and

Brandon had assigned, including offering a hefty reward for any information on

the "sacrificial piling" rumors, Kent had the PR team draft a statement denouncing the rumors as baseless before releasing any information on the site of accident: A sudden power outage at the construction site caused chaos and a stampede, during which the lead architect, Sophia, fell into the river

statement to Brandon for approval before making it

internet ablaze. No one cared about

to find couldn't possibly have been used for such a purpose,

viral, thanks to journalists and social media personalities; there was nothing inside

the rumored homeless man, Nell, he appeared alive

cameras.