The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 551

Haley just stood there, stunned, watching Susan swing the broom at him. He didn't dodge, and just let it come crashing down towards him.

But Susan, gritting her teeth in anger, couldn't bring herself to actually hit Haley when the broom was about to smack him. She gave him a furious glare through her tearful eyes, and pointed viciously towards the door, "Get out! You're not welcome here."

Haley didn't dare make a peep, and just stood there with reddened eyes, looking all vulnerable and pitiful.

Brandon knew Sophia hadn't gotten over Haley. He was the one who had saved her, and the only person in that family who had shown her a hint of warmth.

Even if that smidgen of warmth was ultimately defeated by his own spinelessness, for Sophia, who had grown up starved of parental love, that little bit of warmth was all too precious.

So she treasured it, that rare warmth, even though it came with a cruel edge.

Brandon took the broom out of Susan's hands.

Haley, through tears, turned to Susan, "Susan, come on, spill it to me. What's really happened to Sophia?"

Susan pointed to the TV and yelled through sobs, "Can't you watch the news? Can't you see what's happened to her?"

Haley had clung to a sliver of hope on his way over, hoping that Sophia's situation was just media and experts spouting nonsense, that she was really okay. But seeing Susan's reaction, he completely lost his composure and turned to Brandon for help.

"Mr. Crawley."

He had always carefully stuck to calling him "Mr. Crawley", even though the man before him was his son-in-law.

But Sophia's marriage into the family and Daniel and Patricia's disdain for the Yearwood family had made him cautious, worried he might put Sophia in a tough spot between her family and her husband. So he always kept a respectful distance from Brandon and the Crawley family, although he could only control his own actions, not those of Laura and Aaron.

Aaron in line, maybe Sophia wouldn't have ended up divorcing, and maybe she wouldn't be in this situation

that his "Mr. Crawley" was like a sharp knife, stabbing

them a job, arranging school admissions, or securing medical appointments, he had grown weary and handed them off to Kent, never bothering to deal with Sophia's family again, nor had he visited her parents' home with her. His interactions

that his neglect of her family and not visiting her home, in the eyes of society, was another form of rejection by a husband and lack of love. Without her family's support, Sophia was

it all clicked for Brandon - why Sophia had been so resistant to

make up," after fighting with herself

Brandon cast him a glance, his voice hoarse as he finally spoke, "The news is

her. He had searched everywhere he could think of, but she was nowhere

complete lack of leads seemed to suggest that her body had sunk into the icy depths of

bitter taste back to his throat,

he suddenly

blankly at the scene. Perhaps touched by Haley's crying, her eyes also reddened, and it looked like she was about to cry but was trying hard to hold

hugged her, stroking her head in silent

emotions any longer, he took

she had forgotten, and just silently went

this, Brandon felt even worse. He silently bathed Theresa, tucked her into bed, and only then did he get up and head for the

stopped. Haley had left at some point, and Susan was nowhere to be

himself with where they'd gone, and just numbly bent down to pick up the blocks Theresa hadn't finished stacking, his whole

to find Brandon in

walking corpse, that was the

see him like this, but he had to

"Mr. Crawley."

as he reflexively looked