The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 540

Sophia had been off the grid for days, as if she'd vanished into thin air, with the only trace left being her scarf tangled up in the branches.

Brandon has personally hit up all the nearby villages, but no one'd fished anyone out of the river, nor was there any buzz about Sophia.

With a massive bounty of ten million on the line, people were tempted, sure, but no one'd got any solid leads. And not a call from Sophia either.

If she were still kicking, there was no way she wouldn't have called.

These past few days, Brandon had been glued to his phone, not letting the battery dip below 50%, and he'd been snatching up every call like it was the last copter out of Nam, scared to death he'd miss a call from Sophia.

But nada. Her familiar voice hadn't graced his phone since. She was like poof! Gone without a trace, not even a goodbye.

She could ditch him, but there was no way she'd bail on Theresa. Theresa was her world.

So, if she could have, she wouldn't have left Theresa hanging.

Theresa must've sensed something; she'd been quiet as a mouse, clinging to the teddy bear Sophia gave her, not even asking when mommy was coming home. Just hugging her teddy and whispering to it in her room.

woke her, did she cry out for her mom. Every night, she woke up crying her heart out, screaming for her

try to soothe her over and over, his heart aching

Every time he closed his eyes, it was all Sophia - her calm, her grace, her focus at work. Every memory of her vivid and alive, as if she was right there. But the moment he opened his eyes,

of the room was filled with her presence, her scent,

the sense of loss was crushing, almost choking him. But

essence.

like he was torturing himself, pacing around that room, as time

the empty space, and then turned to him quietly asking, "Daddy, do you think mommy might have come home and is waiting for

well up again. He didn't say

just as it was when Sophia left, but

washing her hair, and putting her to bed like a robot. Even the routine he'd mastered recently felt mechanical

time doing this while Sophia was away; he managed when she was on business trips.

didn't get why he didn't treat her better back then, why get mad at her for

better to just let her go. At least she'd be alive somewhere else in the world, undisturbed. He could've taken

But now.