The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 24

Sophia's hand twitched as she switched shoes, but she quickly composed herself. Slipping into her slippers, she looked up at him and explained, "Got a hands-on class today, heading to the construction site. Walking in heels would be a nightmare, so I swapped them for flats."

Brandon's gaze landed on the trench coat she was wearing. "A trench coat to a construction site?"

"Well." Sophia's voice hitched, "We change into our uniforms at school before heading to the site. We gotta dress the part, you know."

Brandon gave her a skeptical look but didn't press further.

Sophia squashed the nervous flutter and dawdled over her shoes, hanging up her bag filled with medicine and medical reports at the entryway. As she withdrew her hand, she couldn't help but second-guess herself and cast an anxious glance at Brandon.

Brandon's attention had already shifted to the room.

Sophia's place was a simple studio apartment. The kitchen and bathroom were side by side at the entrance. Beyond that was a makeshift living area with a small sofa and coffee table, and further in was a bed and a closed-off balcony. The interior was clean and bright, decorated in a refreshing Nordic style with a hint of countryside charm. Sophia's living habits, much like when she was married, were laid-back and casual. Her room was tidy but dotted with carelessly placed trinkets. For instance, the coffee table was spotless, yet the white tabletop was home to a bamboo basket crammed haphazardly with knick-knacks. Among the clutter, Brandon spotted a piece of paper that looked like a medical report, his brows furrowing slightly as he walked towards the coffee table.

Sophia's gaze involuntarily followed Brandon's, landing on the medical report carelessly placed in the basket. Her heart skipped a beat, and instinctively she reached out and tugged at the hem of Brandon's clothes.

Brandon turned to look at her, his piercing black eyes filled with questions.

Sophia forced a calm smile. "By the way, you haven't eaten yet, right?"

Her hand stealthily pushed the bag, with the buzzing phone inside, back into place, unaware of the device's persistent glow.

Susan stared at her phone as it repeatedly reminded her, "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable," and she felt a wave of panic. She didn't know how Sophia was doing.

Earlier, after witnessing Sophia throw up twice and hurriedly hang up the call, Susan had been on edge, worried something might have happened to her friend.

But at the time, she was entertaining a client and couldn't break away to call Sophia. Later, seizing a moment to duck into the restroom, she managed a quick call to Sophia, who was on her way to the hospital. Susan could hear the unease in Sophia's voice, clearly flustered, even though Sophia reassured her that it was just a stomachache and she wanted to get it checked out. When the test results came back clear, Sophia immediately sent them to Susan to ease her mind. But Susan was swamped and didn't have time to respond. Now that she finally had a moment, Susan realized that Sophia had only mentioned the clear test results, not the baby's condition or her own. Frantically worried, Susan texted Sophia for an update but got no response.

Phone calls also went unanswered, and Susan's mind was racing with all sorts of scary possibilities, fearing something had happened to Sophia. After another failed attempt to reach her, Susan decided to call Ivan instead.

Ivan picked up after a few rings.

"Hello?"

Susan's voice was edged with panic as she spoke to the clear male voice on the other end, "Ivan, are you home? Could you check on Sophia for me?"

Ivan was in the middle of a meal, but his voice turned grave, "What's wrong?"

Brandon watched her careful movements, then asked, "Is there something in your bag I shouldn't see?"

Sophia quickly shook her head again, "Nothing like that."

Her hand found the phone but felt the medicine and papers on top. She tried to slide the phone out without moving anything else, but Brandon stepped forward, reaching out to open her bag himself, startling Sophia into pressing down on his hand.

The cool, delicate touch of skin met skin, and Brandon looked at her, "Why are your hands so cold?"

"It's been getting colder lately," Sophia's voice faltered, and her hand hesitantly retreated.

Brandon didn't insist on opening the bag. He just looked at her and noted, "I thought you got over that a couple of years ago?"

"Maybe I just can't cut it here," Sophia said, her hand clutching the phone in her bag tensed up slightly, hesitating whether to just whip it out. Her heart fluttered with indecision, seemingly at sixes and sevens.

Brandon frowned slightly, looking at her, "You've also lost a fair bit of weight, I remember you used to be pretty good at rolling with the punches in new places."

Sophia glanced at him hesitantly. As long as Brandon was willing, she had nowhere to hide in front of him.