The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 238

Brandon plopped his phone back onto the coffee table with a thud.

Ever since he bumped into Yvonne that afternoon, he knew an interrogation was coming.

Yvonne had always been a blabbermouth who couldn’t keep things to herself.

No doubt she’d be nosy about him hanging out with some random girl. But Yvonne had been scared of him since they were kids, so she wouldn’t dare to ask him directly. Instead, she’d run back to her folks for some backup.

Thinking back to the disdain Daniel and Patricia showed when Sophia’s name came up, Brandon's face turned icy. The image of Sophia’s tears tracing her cheeks flashed through his mind.

“But this ain’t about patching up credits. If the shoe doesn’t fit, it just doesn’t fit. Forcing it on just blisters our feet and leaves us bleeding. Maybe all we need is a new pair of shoes.”

Her gentle words echoed in his ears as the scene in his mind switched back to two years ago when she was lying in the hospital bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying. The image was followed by the sight of that yellowed discharge summary in her bag with the words “termination of pregnancy” stirring up a storm in his brain.

The shoes she’d rather give up a child than keep wearing, how could she ever slip them back on.

Kent arrived five minutes later, fashionably late. He missed Sophia but spotted Brandon's injured left palm and right arm.

The blood on his palm was beginning to coagulate, looking rather ghastly.

“Mr. Crawley?”

Kent called out to him, concerned.

Brandon glanced up, “You here?”

But he didn’t say much else.

Kent, worried, looked at his hand, “Let me patch you up.”

Brandon gave a soft “Hmm” and extended his hand to him, leaning back against the sofa, looking somewhat exhausted.

Kent glanced around the room before asking, “Where’s Ms. Yearwood?”

Brandon replied, “She’s gone home.”

“Oh.”

Sensing Brandon’s off mood, Kent didn’t dare to pry. He silently grabbed the cotton swabs and antiseptic, tending to the wounds.

Brandon sat in silence as Kent worked, his handsome face turned towards the dark night outside the window, his expression unreadable.

When Kent finished up, Brandon’s gaze remained unfocused.

He sat like a statue, unmoving.

“Mr. Crawley?” Kent called again, tentatively.

Brandon didn’t turn, just calmly asked, “What do you think, forcing her to come back to a family like this, isn't that cruel to her?”

It was a question Kent couldn’t answer.

Brandon wasn’t really looking for one either.

He stood up, “Drive me to WillowBrook Villa.”

Kent gave him a surprised look.

WillowBrook Villa was the marital home of Brandon and Sophia. Since the time two years ago when Brandon trashed the living room and study that Sophia had left behind, Kent remembered that Brandon had never gone back there.

But he simply acknowledged, “Alright.”

The drive wasn’t far, both properties sitting in the luxurious districts of the wealthy.

When the door opened, there was no mustiness as Kent expected.

He didn’t know that Brandon had visited after Sophia's graduation, nor that he had someone clean it regularly since then.

He glanced at the living room.

It bore no resemblance to when Sophia lived there; the room was devoid of any trace of her presence.

“You can go back,” Brandon told Kent, without looking back.

“Sure.”

Kent didn’t dare to ask more. After saying goodbye, he closed the door behind him and left.

Brandon surveyed the empty house.

Not just Kent, even he could barely find any sign that Sophia had ever lived there.

“I’ll sit in the back,” Sophia said softly.

Brandon didn’t say a word, just opened the back door for her.

Sophia bent down and slid into the seat.

Brandon fired up the engine, and they were off in no time.

Sophia caught a glimpse of his hands gripping the steering wheel, looking pretty nimble.

She wanted to ask him about his hand, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she ended up saying nothing at all.

Brandon was silent too.

The silence stretched out in the cramped space, making Sophia feel all uptight.

Brandon’s way of setting the vibe hadn’t changed one bit.

He took a quick look at Sophia in the rearview mirror.

He spotted a flicker of awkwardness on her face, something that rarely showed up when they used to be together.

The longer they had been apart, the more this awkwardness seemed to grow.

Brandon let out a sigh and told her, “Why don’t you catch some z’s? I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

“Okay,” Sophia murmured, resting her head against the window and quickly drifting off to sleep.

The grind of the weekend, juggling work and kids, had left her utterly exhausted.

Brandon glanced over at her. She was out like a light. Maybe it was a bit chilly in the car because she had subconsciously crossed her arms for warmth.

He pulled into a rest area, slipped off his jacket, and gently covered her with it, being extra careful.

Sophia didn’t wake up. She just instinctively snuggled into the warmth, finding a more comfortable position, still deep in slumber.

Brandon couldn’t help but stare at her sleeping face, noticing her hair falling over her face. He reached out to brush it away, but halfway there, he stopped.

He didn’t touch her.