The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

"Hey, you,"

Sophia was about to speak when out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the blood seeping through the bandage on her

wrist. Her expression suddenly shifted, "Your hand."

Brandon glanced at his bleeding palm and locked his eyes on her, "You actually worried about me, Sophia?"

Sophia pressed her lips and looked away, silent.

Brandon tightened his grip on her palm suddenly, the force compelling her to look at him. The injustice of being coerced made her

eyes well up with tears.

A flicker of softness passed through the calmness in Brandon's eyes, but it was fleeting. When he gripped her hand again, he

leaned in and kissed her fiercely.

Sophia was startled at first, instinctively struggling. But the more she fought, the tighter Brandon held her, and the more ruthless

the kiss became.

Her lips were chafed raw, his tongue invading forcefully and brutally. The sticky wetness seeped through the bandage and onto her

wrist.

Sophia's struggle turned into hesitation and conflict.

Brandon felt her hesitation, and the assertiveness in his kiss gradually softened. The familiar tenderness made Sophia's heart

ache, her resistance unwittingly fading, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Brandon's actions also slowed to a stop.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in a hoarse whisper, not letting go of her.

Sophia stayed quiet, just turning her head slightly, tears still swirling in her eyes. Brandon was silent for a long while too.

Eventually, without a word, he sat up.

The bandage on his palm was now stained red with blood from the reopened wound. He looked at it, then abruptly tore off the

bandage and tossed it into the trash.

Sophia glanced at the still-bleeding cut on his palm, now beginning to clot, and then turned her head away, silent.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Brandon stood up to answer the door.

Sophia also sat up, thinking it was Kent, and followed Brandon to the door only to find that it was Brandon's father Daniel,

accompanied by Patricia and Yvonne.

Sophia froze, followed by a wave of awkwardness.

The others hadn't expected to see Sophia there and were also taken aback. Daniel was the first to recover, appraising Sophia with

his typical air of superiority.

Brandon stepped in front of Sophia, blocking his father's scrutinizing gaze.

"What brings you here?" He asked coldly.

"We need to talk to you," Daniel replied, his tone not much warmer.

Yvonne behind him was frantically gesturing at Brandon, as if she had something urgent to say but didn't dare to speak openly.

Sophia didn't want to get involved in their family matters and said softly, "I should go."

She walked past Brandon, who grabbed her, wanting to offer a ride home, but upon seeing his injured hand, realized he couldn't

drive. He looked at Yvonne, "Take Sophia home."

"Huh?" Yvonne sounded surprised, not because she was unwilling, but the way how intimate he addressed caught her off guard.

Sophia had already refused her, "No need, thank you."

After saying that, she pressed the elevator button and stepped inside. Yvonne hurried after her, not forgetting to turn back and

make a gesture of apology to Brandon, "Brandon, | accidentally blabbed to mom and dad about what happened with you today. |

didn't mean to."

She quickly got into the elevator before Brandon could question her.

Yvonne caught up with Sophia in the lobby and called out to her.

"Sophia, letgive you a lift."

"No need." Sophia declined calmly, "I'll call a cab. I'll be hin no time."

Yvonne gave an awkward smile, insisting on not letting Sophia leave, "I can't let you go; my brother specifically askedto take

care of this. I'll get an earful if | don't."

Without further ado, she grabbed Sophia by the arm and pulled her towards her car, which was parked downstairs, just a few

meters’ walking.

Yvonne pushed her into the vehicle, and then hopped in herself, giving Sophia no chance to refuse.

The drive back wasn't exactly short. Sophia was mostly quiet. Yvonne, being bubbly, couldn't stand the silence, especially with

something weighing on her mind.

The scene of Brandon with the little girl she had encountered earlier kept playing in her head. Halfway through the drive, she

couldn't hold back anymore and popped the question, "Sophia, can | ask you something?"

Sophia looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, go ahead."

"Are you and my brother getting back together?"

"No. Today was just a coincidence; | was about to head home."

"Okay."

She hesitated and looked back at Sophia again, "Why did you and my brother divorce?"

"We just weren't right for each other," Sophia said softly.

Yvonne hesitated, "Is that only it?"

Sophia sensed there was more to her question and glanced at her, "Is there another reason?"

"It's not that."

Yvonne chuckled nervously, peeking at Sophia in the rearview mirror before tentatively asking, "My brother didn't do anything to

hurt you, did he?"

Sophia frowned, puzzled by her question, "Why would you ask that?"

"Well." Yvonne hesitated, then blurted out, "I bumped into my brother today. He was holding a little girl; he was really affectionate

with her, and it seemed off to me."

Sophia's heart skipped a beat, looking at her, "What seemed off about it?"

"I think that girl might be my brother's daughter.”

Yvonne glanced back at Sophia to gauge her reaction, and seeing the change in her face, worried she might have touched a nerve.

She quickly laughed it off, "I'm just speculating; don't take it seriously, okay? My brother's definitely not that kind of guy."

Sophia forced a smile in response, "Yeah."

Seeing Sophia's expression, Yvonne suspected she knew something and, after a moment's thought, couldn't help but ask her

again.

"Sophia, give it tostraight, did you and my brother split because he cheated? | mean, you two were all good, and then bam,

divorce city? How does that even happen?"

She still had this little girl's fairytale dream tucked away in her heart and couldn't really stomach the idea of cheating.

If it turned out her brother was the cheater, she'd back Sophia no matter what.

Sophia looked at her, "Why would you say that?"

Yvonne replied, "Well, if that kid is really his daughter, the timing adds up, doesn’t it? Did the kid's mom show up pregnant and

that's what caused the split?"

Sophia frowned at Yvonne, "Is this what your parents went to see your brother about today?"

"Yep." Yvonne nodded, "My brother's gonna tie the knot with Yolanda, and a love child's definitely gonna throw a wrench in the

works. They're probably trying to figure out with him how to deal with the whole mess."

Sophia looked at her, "So, if this kid really is your brother's, what do your folks plan to do about it?"

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