The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia watched his car drive away, stuck in place without budging an inch. By the tshe snapped back to reality, her face was

already drenched with tears.

She wiped her cheeks dry, let out a deep sigh, and finally turned to head upstairs.

Passing by her front door, Sophia paused, thinking of Theresa inside. In the end, she decided against going in and instead retreated

to the stunext door.

Once the door shut behind her, Sophia felt like she'd been drained of all her energy. She tossed her bag onto the couch carelessly

and made her way to the bathroom.

She scooped up swater and scrubbed her face fiercely, but the cool water did nothing to wash away the fatigue and puffiness.

Letting out a weary breath, Sophia filled the tub with water and sank herself into its warm embrace.

The cozy water eased her body's weariness, but it couldn't touch the chaos in her mind.

Her thoughts were a jumble, tinged with confusion and pain. Now it was Brandon's frosty, handsface as he walked through the

door, now Daniel's frail body lying in the hospital bed and those aggressive texts, now Brandon's restrained, drunken demeanor

during Daniel's hospitalization, then the moment Brandon lost it at the press conference, grabbing Marian's arm demanding to

know where that paternity test report cfrom, and then there were the happy, fulfilling times with Theresa and her and

Brandon together.

All these scrambled images swamped her brain, tangling her thoughts and weighing heavy on her heart.

In this self-loathing state, Sophia slowly closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink beneath the water, not wanting to think or care

about anything.

Suddenly, the bathroom door was flung open with force. Before Sophia could even open her eyes, she was yanked out of the water

by a powerful grip accompanied by a furious roar, "Have you lost your mind?"

Blinking in confusion, Sophia's gaze fell on Brandon's face, just inches away, and she froze for a second.

His face was a mix of dark fury and panicked concern, which Sophia couldn't quite see clearly - her vision was blurred by the water

cascading down her face.

Struggling to see, her head was suddenly covered with a towel. Brandon's hand rubbed the towel roughly over her, drying her off

before removing it.

Finally, Sophia could see Brandon's face clearly. He was staring at her, fierce and incredulous, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Does being withmake you this miserable?" He asked, his voice cold and deep.

Recalling the scene he walked in on, her motionless body submerged in the water, he felt his soul shatter.

"l just wanted to cool off," Sophia whispered, wrapping herself in the towel he was holding to fend off the chill.

"You need to be motionless under water to cool off?" Brandon's voice remained tense.

Sophia bit her lip and said nothing more.

She didn't even know what she'd been thinking at that moment - just wanted to let go and sink, following her body's instinct to

escape it all.

Brandon also remained silent, turning to kick out the bathtub plug. The water drained out with a gushing sound, and neither of

them spoke until it was all gone.

Finally, Brandon said, "Theresa is looking for you."

His voice had calmed. After speaking, he left the bathroom without looking back.

Sophia watched his retreating figure. "I'm sorry," she whispered an apology.

Brandon's steps faltered slightly, but he didn't turn around or respond.

"l wasn't trying to kill myself." Sophia said softly, "I really just wanted to zone out for a bit."

Brandon was silent for a while before he finally said, "Givesttoo."

He would let her go.

With that, Brandon opened the door and left without waiting for her response, not looking back.

The heavy security door slammed shut.

Sophia stared at the closed door for a long time, so long that the sky outside had turned completely dark, and her phone inside her

bag began to ring. Only then did she snap out of it.

It was Theresa calling. Sophia sniffled and picked up the phone.

"Mommy, why haven't you cback yet?"

As soon as the video call connected, Theresa's cute face popped up on the screen, her voice full of confusion.

"Mommy's next door in the studio; I'll be back soon," Sophia reassured her gently.

"Okay." Theresa seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at her promise, "Hurry back, Daddy's finished cooking dinner."

"Will do," Sophia replied softly.

After hanging up, she changed clothes and went back home.

Brandon had dinner ready by the tshe returned. The table was laden with dishes, all served up.

He glanced at her as she walked in, no greeting, but silently dished out a bowl of rice for her.

"Thank you," Sophia said quietly.

Brandon didn't reply.

Sophia pressed her lips, not saying anything else, and took a seat at the table.

Theresa, sensitive to the mood, looked puzzled from Sophia to Brandon and asked, "Daddy, Mommy, what's wrong?"

Brandon gave her a smile, "Mommy and Daddy are fine."

Sophia managed a smile for Theresa, assuring her everything was alright.

Still a child, Theresa was reassured by her parents’ words and let go of her worries.

Brandon sat next to her, attentively taking care of her meal.

Though Theresa could feed herself, sfoods still needed to be torn into smaller pieces by an adult.

Perhaps because she hadn't had the chance to eat with her dad before, now that she finally could, she wanted to show off in front

of him. With Brandon by her side, she ate with gusto, relishing every bite, and was extra well-behaved.

"Slow down," Brandon cautioned gently as her cheeks puffed out, afraid she might choke.

Theresa gave Brandon a smile and slowed down her eating pace.

Sophia sat opposite them, the sweet father-daughter interaction leaving a sour taste in her heart.

She wondered if she was wrong - after all, in this world, many couples didn't stay together just for love.

What was the big deal if Daniel disagreed? Even if he was pissed off to death, so what? And if Brandon ended up feeling guilty

about it, who cared? It was not her problem, after all.

Sure, she and Brandon managed to survive the past two years together; who was to say they couldn't tough it out for another

twenty.

She just couldn't convince herself.

Brandon noticed her playing with her tableware before it finally cto a stop. He glanced at her but didn't say anything.

Sophia lowered her head, picked up a piece of meat, and kept eating in silence.

After dinner, Brandon took Theresa to bathe.

"From now on, I'll take care of Theresa's daily needs," Brandon said to her in a calm voice, looking straight at her.

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