The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 180

Sophia was petite and delicate, standing next to the tall and upright Ivan, she unintentionally gave off a damsel-in-distress vibe.

Ivan was rambling on about something, and Sophia was slightly tilting her head to listen, a gentle smile gracing her lips and a soft, tranquil look in her eyes, her side profile under the moonlight serene and elegant.

Brandon had seen Sophia like this countless times, but from the day she told him about the divorce, he never saw her like that again.

From start to finish, Sophia was showing him through her actions that there was no chance between them anymore.

Suddenly, Brandon was hit by a song called "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", the live performance he, Don, and Kent heard at the restaurant.

"We are never, ever, ever getting back together

We are never, ever, ever getting back together

You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me

But we are never, ever, ever, ever getting back together

Like, ever."

That night, those lyrics hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Just imagining such a scene was unbearable, so he ditched Don and Kent and headed back to the hospital.

But nothing changed.

Sophia left and came back, but the distance between them never closed.

From the beginning, she had let go of him.

Her firmness made his fickleness seem childish and annoying.

Brandon took a deep breath and shifted his gaze away from the cozy pair walking side by side, slammed his foot on the gas, and the black Cayenne zipped away.

As the car whooshed by, Sophia instinctively turned her head.

Brandon's expressionless handsome face caught her eye, then quickly disappeared with the speeding black Cayenne out of sight.

Sophia stared at the fading car, a bit dazed.

Ivan, having seen Brandon in the car, fell silent for a while before he couldn't help asking the question on his mind. "How are things with your ex-husband now?"

Sophia came back to her senses, turned to him, and smiled. "Why the sudden question?"

"Just curious," Ivan said. "Are you guys thinking about getting back together?"

Sophia shook her head, not keen on continuing the topic.

They reached the road outside the villa area, with plenty of cabs flashing their "available" signs. Sophia casually hailed one, then turned and said goodbye to Ivan.

Ivan nodded, asking her, "Planning to look for someone else?"

Sophia just laughed and shook her head. "Nah, I'm good on my own. Solo life suits my personality better."

"Being with someone has its own joys, maybe you just haven't met the right person to make you happy," Ivan said softly, looking at her. "You're still young, don't set limits for yourself so soon."

Sophia just smiled and shook her head again, not biting.

She sat alone on the tatami mat specially made for Theresa, zoned out for quite a while.

So long that hours slipped by unnoticed.

When she snapped back to reality, it was the wee hours of the night.

The ringing of her phone on the table brought her back to her senses.

Sophia's gaze slowly shifted to the phone on the table, and after a long silence, she finally picked it up.

The familiar number on the screen made her pause.

She hadn't saved Brandon's number, but those digits were etched in her mind.

She knew it was Brandon calling.

At 3 in the morning.

A time when Brandon would never usually call.

Sophia didn't know if it was a wrong number or something else, and hesitated, not answering.

The ringing stopped, then started again almost immediately.

Urgent and persistent.

On the third ring, Sophia, still hesitating, answered.