The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 380

Sophia looked up in surprise but before she could get a good look, her head was pressed back against Brandon's chest.

He didn't let her see his face; instead, he just held her tighter, tilting his head slightly down with his cheek against the top of her head.

Sophia's hand, hanging by her side, hesitated before gently wrapping around him.

She didn't speak, nor did Brandon. His palm caressed her long hair as he leaned in and kissed her again.

That night, they both ended up crashing at the place.

The next day was the weekend, no rush for work, and Brandon was a bit emotional that night, which made him pretty ruthless in the bedroom, throwing caution to the wind.

The consequence of such indulgence was that they both woke up later than Theresa the next morning.

Theresa only realized her parents weren't around when she woke up.

She vaguely remembered her mom mentioning she was going to pick up dad last night, and now that she couldn't see either of them, she felt a bit uneasy and couldn't help but wake Grace, who was still sleeping beside her.

"Grace, where are my mom and dad?"

"Your parents are in the next-door studio," Grace soothed her, knowing that Sophia had messaged saying they'd stay there.

"But it's already so bright outside." Theresa looked at the sunlight spilling over the windowsill, still a bit anxious, "I want to go find my dad and mom."

Grace wasn't sure if Sophia and Brandon were up yet and coaxed her, "How about we call your mom and dad first?"

Theresa hesitantly nodded, "Okay."

Grace grabbed the phone from the bedside table and called Sophia. It took a while before the call was answered with a deep, husky voice - not Sophia's.

"Daddy?" Theresa asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, it's me," Brandon's voice was clearer now, faintly accompanied by footsteps.

"Why are you up so early, Theresa?" Brandon asked, his deep voice husky yet gentle.

"I woke up." Said Theresa, still worried, "Daddy, where's mommy?"

"Mom's still sleeping," whispered Brandon, already treading lightly towards the living room.

Theresa looked puzzled, "Why didn’t you two come back to rest with me then?"

Brandon cleared his throat, "You fell asleep last night, and your mom and I didn't want to wake you, so we rested over in mom's office."

"Oh, so mom and dad were working together."

Theresa wasn't upset, but in her mind, an office was a place for work, and sometimes her mom couldn't come home to sleep because she was busy in the office. So, in her eyes, their being in mom's office meant they were busy working.

Brandon couldn't quite respond to that, so he gently changed the subject, "Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet, I just woke up." Theresa said, already climbing out of bed, "Daddy, I want to come find you two."

"Alright. Have Grace bring you over."

"Okay."

Theresa perked up, hung up the phone, and asked Grace to take her over.

Sophia's studio was just across the way. As they opened the door, Brandon had already opened his door, waiting for her.

"Daddy," the little one sweetly called out and trotted over to Brandon.

Brandon squatted down to scoop her up and told Grace not to bother with breakfast before he carried Theresa back to the studio.

As soon as Theresa entered, she wriggled down to find her mom. But it wasn't exactly the right time to let Theresa into the room.

Brandon stopped her, "Mom was really tired last night and is still resting. Let's not disturb mom, okay?"

"Okay." Being sensible, she didn't insist on entering the room.

Her cooperative response let both adults breathe a sigh of relief, mixed with a tinge of awkwardness.

By the time Sophia finished getting ready and came out, Brandon and Theresa were already waiting for her at the dining table.

"Mommy, Daddy and I whipped up breakfast together."

Seeing Sophia push open the door and step out, Theresa couldn't help but fish for compliments.

Sophia flashed her a smile, "Really? Way to go, Theresa!"

Brandon's gaze had already shifted to Sophia, landing on her still somewhat weary face. He asked her softly, "You doing okay?"

Sophia knew he was referring to last night, and discussing it in front of the kiddo was kind of awkward.

She nodded a bit uncomfortably, "Yeah."

Then she took a seat at the breakfast table.

With Theresa, the little chatterbox around, the meal went by in a relaxed vibe. And just like that, thanks to Theresa's off-the-cuff suggestion, they decided to take her to the children's amusement park after the meal.

This was the trio's first time going out together, and Theresa was over the moon.

They hit up the biggest children's amusement park in West district, dubbed the "mini Disneyland" of the area. It being the weekend, the place was swarming with folks, mostly parents herding their young ones.

When they got to the park's entrance, Brandon peeled off to park the car while Sophia and Theresa hung back at the gate waiting for him.

The entrance was already jam-packed with people.

Sophia and Brandon had splurged on VIP passes, so no need to sweat it out in the long lines.

As Sophia, clutching Theresa, made for the fast-track entrance, Theresa's clothes got snagged by a passing kid's hook-and-loop fastener. Theresa let out a little "ouch!" Sophia whipped around instinctively, and so did the parent of the kid who had hooked Theresa's clothes. Their eyes locked.

"Sophia?" The other person started, sounding unsure.