The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 550

Brandon tried clicking on the draft box, but the page was dead as a doornail. Clearly, only Sophia's linked phone had the magic touch to get in and edit stuff.

Brandon had no choice but to back off, staring at the phone screen as messages like "Brandon, let's make up," "Brandon, I'm sorry," and "Brandon, happy birthday" kept popping up and disappearing, without him making a move.

He could almost picture Sophia, phone in hand, hemming and hawing over her words, her hesitations flickering on the screen with every typed and deleted character.

Maybe she didn't know what to say, or maybe she did, but felt that given the odd vibe between them, those words just didn't sit right.

The unique boundaries they had, unlike other couples, made her weigh every word she said to him.

They were close enough to already own a kid together, but there was this distance, a closeness that was intimate yet strangely aloof.

Although she didn't stay close to people, she wasn't the type to be cold or distant with others. Whether with Susan, Cindy, or even Don and Kent, she managed to keep up normal social ties. But around him, she was all politeness and restraint, probably because he never gave her that signal that she was different from everyone else.

She grew up in a chilly home without a shred of warmth, and no doubt, as a kid, she must've been desperate for that parental love. She might've tiptoed around, trying to please everyone in the family, but to no avail. As people like Laura and Aaron, her gesture would only meet with more scolding or worse from. Over time, she stopped showing her longing for love.

Her feelings for him were the same. Deep down, there was still that little Sophy, craving love but too scared to reach out.

She loved him, but he never made a move towards her, never told her he felt the same, so she never dared to close the gap.

Her "Brandon, let's make up" must've taken a ton of mental prep before she worked up the courage to write it, only to delete it for fear of seeming off. She switched to a softer "Brandon, I'm sorry," and finally settled for the harmless "happy birthday."

apologizing for, probably feeling guilty about ignoring his peace offerings and her stubbornness

the one who got hurt the most in their marriage, she was always the one

"I'm sorry."

the screen like a typewriter, Brandon whispered an apology as if Sophia was on the

Sophia was standing right there, gazing at him with her usually calm,

voice choked up and barely audible, but his lips

deepened when he saw "Brandon,

He said softly, as if not to spook the Sophia on the other end of the line, "Will you

no response. Just the cursor moving to the

his eyes wet and indulgent, as if Sophia was

get.

to a silent black. Brandon's smile

stared at the dark phone in his hand, not bothering to light it up

gulped it down before tossing it aside. His gaze lingered on a necklace on the dashboard; he paused, and then slowly reached for it, his fingertips gently touching the mini white jade embedded inside. Lowering his head, he

But the car was silent, without a hint of noise. Brandon put on the necklace

soon as Brandon stepped out of the elevator, he spotted a

was Sophia's foster father,

rubbing his hands and squatting in the corner, also saw