The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 621

The entrance to the school was jam-packed with a crowd that had gathered to watch the festivities, making it impossible to get through.

By the time Brandon dashed to the entrance, the silhouette that resembled Sophia had long disappeared.

Pushing through the throng with all his might, Brandon shouted Sophia's name at the top of his lungs, his eyes frantically scanning the surroundings.

But aside from the puzzled stares of strangers, the familiar figure that had turned away was nowhere to be seen, vanished so completely it was as if he had just imagined her.

A heavy blanket of despair once again smothered the pounding in Brandon's chest.

He had been right there, alone on the stage, standing out like a sore thumb. He'd even introduced himself—his name is Brandon. If that was her, why didn't she recognize him?

Even if she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him, what about Theresa? How could she possibly abandon Theresa too?

If she was still alive, why hadn't she reached out to him or Theresa, or even to Susan Cooper?

Sophia was never cruel-hearted. Even in the throes of a marriage that brought her to her wits' end, she had parted from him with calm, gentle dignity. Before the accident, they had had their share of minor spats, but they had made up. She had even written him a letter seeking reconciliation. How could she be alive and not contact him or Theresa?

A barrage of "whys" and actions so out of character for Sophia crushed the fleeting hope that had surged in him just moments before.

Was it just someone with a passing resemblance to her?

The distance from the stage to the school entrance wasn't particularly far, but not close either. From his angle, he could only catch a general outline and shape, unable to make out facial features, especially since the person was wearing a mask. Could it have been a case of mistaken identity?

Brandon's hands, pushing through the crowd, slowed and hesitated for a moment, the disappointment weighing so heavily that even lifting his arm felt like too much. Yet the image of her side profile as she turned, that soft and gentle face etched into his very bones, replayed in his mind—how could he possibly be mistaken?

Even with a mask on, even without a clear view of her features, he could never misidentify the quiet, gentle aura that he had only ever seen in Sophia.

His hands, once limp, found new strength to push through the passersby blocking his path. With his eyes reddened, he continued to scour the crowd for that familiar figure.

The onlookers at the celebration were taken aback by Brandon's frenzied actions. Most were just killing time, scrolling through their phones, waiting for the performances to start, with little interest in the speeches happening on stage. But now they couldn't help but turn their curiosity towards the striking man who had suddenly bolted from the stage and plunged into the crowd, desperately looking for someone. Those with a penchant for gossip couldn't resist the urge to sneakily raise their phones to capture the drama.

Months had passed since the reward for information about Sophia's accident, and the buzz had long been overshadowed by the relentless churn of social news. Few could still recall the name of the girl who had drowned months back, and though it might ring a bell, curiosity quickly diverted their attention elsewhere.

President Poe arrived on the scene just in time, along with several school officials.

President Poe made sure to stop anyone trying to sneak photos, and soon made his way through the crowd to grab Brandon, who was still frantically searching for Sophia.

"What's the matter?" President Poe asked with concern.

Brandon turned to him and said, "President Poe, I need to check the surveillance footage at the school entrance."

"Huh?"

President Poe seemed troubled—not because he was unwilling to show the footage, but because the timing was off. The school was in the middle of its centennial celebration, reporters from TV stations were there filming live, and the audience was awaiting Brandon's speech.

"Can you wait until after the celebration? I'll take you to see it then," President Poe whispered, trying to compromise. "The crowd and the reporters are still waiting for you. Can we head back now?"

Brandon's heart skipped a beat once more.

Just like he saw from a distance, the figure of Sophia on the surveillance footage was only roughly visible, her silhouette and posture discernible. She wasn’t facing the camera head-on, always walking with her head down or looking sideways at the stage, showing her profile. Yet even so, only Sophia could possess such gentle and poised features, such a calm and serene aura.

That fleeting glance he caught of her on stage earlier, there’s no way that was just in his head.

Brandon kept trying to convince himself, so much so that he didn’t have the patience to spend hours scouring through footage frame by frame to find a clear shot of her face. His long fingers dragged the mouse, eager to see where she might have gone after walking out of the school gates. But there was nothing.

The cameras only reached the school entrance, and once Sophia stepped into the crowd that was blocking the gate, she disappeared without a trace.

Brandon just shut off the surveillance and left.

On his way, he dialed Kent.

"Get someone to comb through all the street cams around the West district high school area, see where Sophia headed off to, pronto!”

Kent was like, “...”

He was in the middle of syncing up with Don Dempsey when Brandon’s request hit him out of the blue. He was caught off guard and instinctively glanced at Don across from him.

Brandon's voice was cool and urgent, loud enough that Don overheard and immediately furrowed his brows.

Don had been out of town on business, and only just heard from Kent about the cops finding a body that might be Sophia’s. He also knew that they had just taken a DNA sample from Theresa to compare, and he was already feeling down about it. Then, hearing Brandon suddenly ordering a search of the school’s surveillance to track Sophia’s whereabouts, his gut reaction was that Brandon had lost it.