The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 427

"Madam, you've got the wrong person."

Sophia whispered, not turning around as she tried to gently dislodge the woman's hand from her clothing.

But Renata wouldn't let go; her withered fingers still clung tightly to the hem of Sophia's clothes, her voice quivering with a hint of a cry, "Grandma hasn’t made a mistake. Sophia, you're my Yoli. Yoli, don't be mad at Grandma. Turn around and look at me, will you?"

The pleading tone almost brought tears to Sophia's eyes.

In the end, she couldn't bear to upset Renata and turned to look at her, softly saying, "Grandma, I'm not angry."

Her comforting tone instantly put a smile on Renata's face. Holding Sophia's hands, her eyes were tearful, but her voice was filled with relief, "My Yoli is still the understanding and kind-hearted girl she was as a child, that's wonderful."

Sophia didn't quite know how to respond to that, so she just offered an awkward smile.

Louis wasn't too fazed by Renata's words; ever since her dementia worsened, she's always been mixing things up, confusing one person for another, babbling on, with few moments of clarity.

He was just surprised at Renata's fondness for Sophia and gave her a glance.

Marian, who had less interaction with Renata, wasn't sure how far gone her dementia was, but this was the first time she saw Renata so clearly and directly mistaking Sophia for Yolanda, from her gaze to her body language, she treated Sophia entirely as Yolanda.

Marian's frown deepened as she recalled the absent look on Sophia's face when she first saw her bracelet; she looked at Sophia with confusion.

Sophia was trying to persuade Renata to go back.

But Renata was stubborn like a kid, shaking her head and refusing to leave, wanting Sophia to come home with her.

Theresa stood in the hallway, secretly watching the situation in the living room entrance. She was obeying her father's instructions to wait for him at home and not to wander off, causing trouble for her mother. She had stuck her head out into the corridor to peek out occasionally. Yet when she saw her grandmother holding onto her mother's hand, asking her to come home—the sense of impending loss made her forget her father's words, and she hesitantly stepped out and timidly called out, "Mommy?"

To muster courage, she clutched a small doll in her arms.

Her sweet, milky voice drew Louis and Renata’s attention on her.

Louis was taken aback by the girl's familiar look, staring at Theresa in a daze.

This daze only added to Marian's confusion, prompting her to look at Renata, who had already crouched down to Theresa's level with a puzzled look in her eyes. "How did my Yoli get so small again?"

Sophia had already turned around by then and squatted down, opening her arms to Theresa and softly asked, "When did you wake up, Theresa?"

"Just now."

Theresa said, hesitatingly stepping into Sophia's embrace, but couldn't help glancing warily at Renata.

She remembered this old lady.

The one who got lost in the park that day, when her mother had promised to accompany her back home.

Sophia just apologetically shook her head, "Sorry, Mr. Frost, it's not a good time."

" May I use your restroom then?" Marian chimed in suddenly, "I'm sorry, I really need to use the bathroom."

Sophia gave her a look, hesitated, but then nodded and stepped aside.

Marian seemed in a real hurry, heading straight for the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her with a loud "bang" that was a bit too forceful.

Grace, concerned, went to keep an eye on the door.

Indeed, Marian was in a rush to use the bathroom.

But as Marian sat in the privacy of the restroom, her mind couldn't escape from the images of the past: the way Brandon and Martin flipped out when they saw her bracelet, and how Sophia was totally dazed by it. She remembered telling Sophia she found it and Sophia's subconscious reaction, asking her if she was adopted too. Aaron's disdainful tone for Sophia over dinner, Renata almost stubbornly called Sophia "Yoli," and the way Louis froze when he saw Sophia's daughter.

All these wild coincidences were smashing together in her head, gradually coalescing into a hazy suspicion.

Her gaze drifted slowly towards the bathroom drain where some strands of hair entangled with debris caught her eye.

Marian's eyes lingered on the twisted hair, and after a moment of hesitation, she squatted down in front of the drain and reached for the hair, only to pull back halfway, grossed out. She turned to leave but only made it halfway before she stopped herself.

With her bottom lip caught tight under her top teeth, she yanked a few paper towels and carefully gathered all the tangled hair from the drain.