The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 2

Brandon bee-lined home.

It was his first time ducking out of work to head back

His pad, spick and span, no longer had any traces of Sophia, except for that divorce agreement on the coffee table, all mussed up by the breeze.

Brandon reached for it

The agreement was straightforward. Sophia didn’t want a thing. What was hers before the marriage stayed hers after

Her signature was already on the dotted line

Her handwriting was gorgeous, all flowy and elegant.

Brandon zoned out staring at the signature on the divorce papers.

No clue how much time had passed when the rustling sound of the door opening snapped him back to reality

Brandon whipped his head toward the entrance.

Patricia had just stepped in, and his sudden glance startled her big time

“What’s up?” she asked, puzzled, clearly noticing the flicker of hope on Brandon’s face slowly fade into dead calm.

“Nothing much, he replied coolly. “What brings you here?”

“I was worried Sophia might be bored stiff at home alone, just dropped by to keep her company, Patricia said with a smile, moving towards him, “What’s with the sudden home run today? Something up with Sophia?”

As she spoke, her brows furrowed with concern, her head turning towards the room.

“She’s fine, Brandon said, looking at her, “Do you drop by often?”

“Not really, just now and then.”

Patricia’s face was painted with awkward embarrassment, and upon finishing her sentence, she saw Brandon’s brow furrow

She quickly changed the subject to the papers in Brandon’s hand “What’s that?”

Reaching to grab them, but before her fingertips could touch the documents, Brandon pressed them down first.

“It’s nothing. Brandon said, looking at Patricia, “No need for you to come over if there’s no issue. Sophia’s got her work. cut out for her. We’ll come visit you when we get the chance.”

“She, Patricia began, almost blurting out “What work could she possibly have?” but quickly bit her tongue, “Alright then.

She couldn’t help but remind Brandon, Sophia’s been recuperating for over a year and still no baby bump. I hope she hasn’t got some lingering issues. Have her get checked at the hospital when she can. I wouldn’t want troubles with having kids later.

Brandon said. “It’s the kid I didn’t want.”

Patricia looked at him, baffled

Brandon issued the boot. “You better head back, and don’t come around unless it’s necessary.”

Patricia’s mouth hung open, wanting to protest, but ultimately, she shut it under Brandon’s icy stare, and turned to leave.

Brandon watched the door close, glanced around the house now devoid of Suphia’s presence, heaved a long sigh, picked up his phone, and dialed his assistant Kent. “Kent, set up a meeting with the lawyer, gotta sort out this divorce

Huh? Kent was taken aback. Wasn’t it just yesterday he’d sent Sophia over? They didn’t seem to be at odds.

Brandon hall aiready hung up, tossing the divorce papers on the coffee table and stepping out the door

Sophia moved back to her smell suburban house.

She’d bought it before getting hitched, just the right size for her solo living.

But it was in this tiny place where she and Brandon had their one-night stand, which led to the pregnancy that bound them together unwillingly.

That night, she couldn’t resist her buddy Susan Cooper’s begging and tagged along to the high school reunion.

Who would’ve thought Brandon, the guy who never showed up to these things, would be there too?

After high school, she and Brandon lost all contact, didn’t join the class group chats or reunions. They were like ships passing in the night, briefly crossing paths before vanishing into their own worlds.

But Brandon had vanished even more completely.

No one knew where he’d gone or what he’d done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded her high school friends, there wasn’t a peep about Brandon.

So, bumping into Brandon after all these years, Sophia was a mix of thrilled and nervous. The crush she never dared to voice was swirling in her chest, but she never found the courage to spill it, even talking to him was stiff and formal, especially with him sitting right next to her their proximity made her even stiff and reserved.

Nervous and afraid it’d show, she hid behind eating and drinking, unwittingly getting tipsy

Brandon, perhaps out of neighborly duty, volunteered to take her home after the party.

Sophia lived alone, and although she was a bit drunk, she wasn’t out cold. Still, the alcohol did a number on her balance. In her tiny one-room house, she tripped over shoes left by the door as soon as she entered. Brandon, quick on the uptake, caught her and in the inertia of the moment, she ended up in his arms. The lights were off, Brandon had had a few himself, and whether it was the booze or the night’s spell, when their gazes met, the chemistry was undeniable. Alone, tipsy, and with the man she’d pined over for years, their locked eyes became impossible to break away from, and as their breaths drew closer

Sophia wasnt one for casual hook-ups. She’d never even had a boyfriend, but that night, she got lost in Brandon’s deep. soft, yet intense eyes

It was the gaze and the man she’d fantasized about countless times.

That night, they indulged to the fullest, both inexperienced but incredibly passionate.

She hadn’t expected Brandon to be as green as her in love and other matters.

With his family background and looks, it was impossible he couldn’t have had a girlfriend.

But over those two years, Sophia understood why Brandon had been single a man wholly devoted to his work didn’t have the spare effort or time for romance

His strict upbringing also made him a stickler for clean living.

That night was probably the only slip-up in his life.

And for Sophia, too.

She had her life all mapped out. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

She majored in architectural design in college and had a decent amount of talent and skills. She was looking to get some advanced training and was already getting her ducks in a row to apply to the School of Architecture of Apex Engineering University. But one unexpected night threw a wrench into all her plans.

She never saw it coming. She was pregnant.

They hadn’t played it safe that night, and because they let loose a little too much, they both overslept the next day. With

view to rush to, she didn’t have time to swing by the pharmacy for the morning-after pill. She was also kind of ng her fingers, hoping that she was in the clear since it was supposedly her safe period. But as fate would have it. she was caught off guard.

Wine Sophis found out she was pregnant, she was at sixes and sevens

But Brandon was talking marriage, having the kid and all that jazz.

It had only been a fortnight since that night, and they hadn’t been in touch since. Sophia hadn’t planned on telling Brandon in the first place, but as luck would have it, she bumped into him at the hospital

where he was visiting his grandpa.

She was a bit red-faced and wanted to keep the test results under wraps, but it was too late.

Brandon caught a glimpse of the HCG report she was hiding behind her back, and reached out for it.

“Let me see

Just a simple, calm sentence, but it was laced with an aura that brooked no argument.

Hesitantly, Sophia handed over the results.

After staring at the report for a bit, Brandon asked her, “What’s your game plan?”

Sophia shook her head, clueless. She hadn’t anticipated this baby, and its arrival had totally scrambled her life plans.

“I’m leaning towards us getting married and having the baby, Brandon said. “But the ball’s in your court. If you’re not up for it, I won’t push

“Getting married?”

Sophia was gobsmacked. She thought Brandon was pulling her leg, but then she saw him nod earnestly, “I’m serious.”

He gave her a couple of days to mull it over.

Sophia had been sweet on Brandon for years, but she never imagined that one day he’d pop the question.

Torn between confusion and longing, she took two days to think it over and then told Brandon, “So, let’s tie the knot.” Just like during a divorce, he simply nodded in agreement, “Okay.”

On the third day, they picked up their marriage certificate.

It seemed absurd, yet somehow it all fell into place

But Sophia never imagined that she and the kid weren’t meant to be.

Nor did she expect her marriage to Brandon to fizzle out before their third anniversary.

It was a whirlwind start and a whirlwind finish.

The past two years felt like a dream.

Surrounded by familiar things in her house, Sophia felt an aching emptiness inside.

She replayed the night she almost tripped over a shoe and he caught her, the intense look in his eyes haunting her.

She could still remember the focus and the emotional turmoil in his eyes, and even now, her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

She had thought that was love.

That he, like her, had harbored feelings for many years, which led to that night’s passion.

Turned out, it wasn’t the case. He was just a bit too tipsy, that’s all.

Her heart ached with this realization.

Sophia remembered overhearing a tiff between Brandon and his father in the study a few days ago when she was visiting his place.

“Your grandpa was gravely ill back then. He was fond of you and wanted to see you married before he passed. You didn’t want him to leave with regrets, so you rushed things with Sophia. It just so happened that she was pregnant with. your child, so I didn’t say much. It gave your grandpa peace, but it’s been two years, and that child wasn’t meant to be with you guys You’re not planning to drag this out for a lifetime, are you?”

Tve got my reasons. Mind your own business.

“How can i not? They say liquor leads to trouble, and look at you. Because of Yolanda Frost, you wouldn’t date anyone, and then you go to some damn reunion, and next thing you know, that woman sneaks into your life.”

“Dad” Brandon abruptly cut off his father Daniel Crawley, his tone icy. This is my fault, not Sophia’s

“Alright, alright, I won’t talk about her. Every time she comes up, you jump to her defense I’m just asking, what if Yolanda comes back? Don’t forget, you were engaged to her

“She’s never coming back”

Sophia could tell that Brandon’s voice faded a bit. It was one of the rare moments she could detect a different emotion in his usually calm demeanor. Clearly, this “Yolanda girl held a special place in his heart.

This was the first time Sophia had heard the name Yolanda, and she felt a bit dazed.

She couldn’t quite pin down her feelings. It was just a sense of bewilderment but no aversion or resistance, even a slight curious affinity for the name

She didn’t dig into who Yolanda was. There was no need. Her issues with Brandon had nothing to do with anyone else.

She was just conveniently there when he needed a marriage to appease his grandfather.

Now that his grandpa was gone and the child that required his responsibility was also gone, there was no need for them to be tied down for life

Sophia knew that unless she spoke up, Brandon would probably never bring up divorce. He’d continue to coexist with her, uneventfully passing the days

But Sophia didn’t want to continue.

This wasn’t the marriage she wanted.

She wanted a husband who she loved and who loved her back, not necessarily loaded, but someone who was considerate, warm, someone who could turn mundane life into contentment, not a man who saw her as an obligation with someone else in his heart.

So she brought up divorce, an idea that had been germinating for six months but had left her on the fence.

And as she expected, Brandon let go without much fuss

He probably breathed a sigh of relief, Sophia figured.

The heaviness in her chest persisted as she pressed a hand to it, surveying the small space once brimming with her hopes. The discomfort intensified, but there was also a faint sense of relief, like she was finally cutting herself some slack.

After a while, she picked up her phone and called the real estate agent who had helped her buy the house. “Hi, I’d like to sell my Sunset Villa property. Could you handle that for me?”

The agent remembered Sophia-soft and pretty, young, with a sweet temperament-she had left a strong impression.

“Of course, no problem at all, he replied cheerfully. “Are you planning on upgrading to a bigger place?”

“No, Sophia chuckled, deftly steering the conversation away. “Just take care of it for me, thanks.”

Brandon’s assistant Kent stumbled upon the listing for Sophia’s house for sale two days later. He’d been looking to move somewhere closer to work and was browsing properties online

Sophia’s pad was just a stone’s throw from Brandon’s biz, popped right up when he snooped for digs nearby.

He’d been roped into helping with the move when Brandon and Sophia tied the knot, and her place was decked out all nice and tidy, so it stuck in his mind, spotted it in a heartbeat.

He just froze on the spot, couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Brandon in the inner office.

Brandon had him on deck to deal with the divorce mess, so he was clued in about the split between Brandon and Sophia

In his book, Brandon and Sophia always seemed solid, not all lovey-dovey like some other newlyweds but far from Bitter halves with no beef that’d call for a divorce.

He was baffled why they’d suddenly call it quits.

Brandon had been anything but a picture of post-divorce gloom these past few days, aside from that out-of-the-blue dash out of the meeting room, he had been business as usual.

If anything was off, it was that Brandon’s clocking more hours at the office, practically moved in, and he was cracking the whip harder on work.

Everywhere he went. folks were walking on eggshells. The whole office was under a cloud of everyone for themselves. Kent figured the divorce had to be messing with Brandon somehow, maybe the two lovebirds were just going through a rough patch.

He was on the fence about spilling the beans on Sophia’s house sale to Brandon; to him, selling the house was like she was making a break for it.

You can patch things up while they’re still around, but once they’re gone, game over.

He didn’t want to keep slugging it out in this gloomy vibe.

So there he was, all twisted up and spacey.

Until Brandon’s gaze suddenly broke away from his computer and landed on him. “What’s up?”

Kent almost jumped out of his skin. “N-nothing.”

Brandon said, “Nothing? You’ve been eyeballing me for an age.”

“I, uh Kent was in a pickle.

Brandon said, “Spit it out.”

Kent bit the bullet, swiveled his phone screen toward Brandon. “Looks like Sophia’s gonna sell the house. She might be on her way out.”

He saw Brandon’s hand freeze on the mouse, thought for sure he’d have something to say, but Brandon just coolly shifted his gaze back to the screen.

“And? The calm and chilly rejoinder.