The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 183

Kent called a ride for Brandon and watched as he hopped into the car. Once the driver had taken off with Brandon, Kent turned to drop Sophia off.

The ride back was super quiet.

Sophia was silent.

Kent was silent, too.

When the car pulled up to Sophia's place, Kent couldn't help but look back at her and finally broke the silence, "Ms. Yearwood, Mr. Crawley's really a catch, you know."

Sophia looked up at him, "How so?"

Kent was stumped for a second, but then he thought about it seriously, "Well, he's clean as a whistle, doesn't mess around."

"That's just the bare minimum for a husband," Sophia said softly. "Most women are like that, but no one goes around saying that's what makes a good woman. Why is it that when a man meets this standard, he gets praised to high heaven, and if a woman doesn't fall for it, she's ungrateful?"

Kent was stumped again.

Maybe he was too used to seeing things from a male perspective and hadn't realized what was off about that.

To most folks, it seems like as long as a guy doesn't play the field, he's free of any serious wrongdoing and should be forgiven for whatever else he does. But many people overlook that loyalty is just the most basic expectation in a relationship.

"Well, he's handsome, has a great body, good genes, he's smart, capable, bold, responsible, and all that." Kent tried to put in a good word for Brandon, "Those are pretty solid points in the dating game."

"Sure, from a dating standpoint, Mr. Crawley is top-notch," Sophia chuckled, "but like you said, it's about choosing a partner."

"For someone who's not interested in that, these are just perks they have. You can admire them, but you won't fall head over heels." Sophia opened the car door, paused slightly, and then said, "Kent, Mr. Crawley is indeed a great guy. But he doesn't know how to love, or maybe I'm just not the one he wants to spend time and effort on. So no matter how great he is, it's meaningless to me. Don't try to set us up again, okay?"

With that, Sophia got out of the car, gave Kent a parting smile, and walked away.

Kent watched her figure disappear into the night, mulling over what she said about Brandon not knowing how to love. Remembering all the nights he'd stayed up working overtime with Brandon, he suddenly felt like he really didn't have a say in this.

He'd seen plenty of lovey-dovey couples and spouses, but none quite like Brandon and Sophia.

Yet he'd also witnessed Brandon's meltdowns and was starting to feel confused about Brandon's feelings.

With a deep sigh, Kent picked up his phone to check in with the ride service. Knowing that Brandon had been safely dropped off at home, he breathed a sigh of relief and drove off.

Sophia got home.

The 130-plus square meter apartment was eerily quiet and empty.

Sophia wondered if Brandon felt the same when he was drunk.

Amidst the discomfort brought on by the alcohol, Sophia's mind wandered back to the past.

She remembered her birthday during senior year of high school, when her brother Aaron got locked up for a fight with a bully who had been harassing her.

Laura thought Aaron was defending her honor because of something she'd done, blamed her for the whole mess, and kicked her out. Sophia ended up sitting alone, lost and directionless, at the bus stop outside her school.

Then Brandon appeared out of nowhere, asking her why she wasn't home yet.

He was cold on the outside back then too, but his eyes were warm.

He helped her through the most unforgettable birthday of her life.

Throughout senior year, Brandon was never overly affectionate, but he always seemed to be there, giving her his quiet protection and tenderness.

It was only when he realized she wasn't Yolanda that he became distant and polite.

Back then, she couldn't understand why he'd suddenly turned cold, but after finding out about Yolanda years later, it all made sense.