The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 625

Maybe it's 'cause she woke up on a cruise ship, but Sophia's entire memory bank started fresh from there, kinda like a baby bird's first view being the nest it's born in. That cruise liner gave her a huge sense of security.

Amanda was another safe haven for her.

Losing all her memories, she was like a newborn, having to get to know and feel out the world all over again.

The first person she came to when she snapped back to reality was Amanda. Her tender loving care gave Sophia a slice of comfort in the sea of strangeness, which is why, earlier on, when faced with the sheer panic and suffocation brought on by Ivan and that middle-aged woman, seeking out Amanda seemed like her instinctive move to dodge harm and grab some peace.

It wasn't until she got back on the ship that Sophia truly started to chill out.

But inside, she still felt hollow, emptier than ever before.

Amanda could read the relief on Sophia's face and couldn't help but give her a pitying look, "Feeling better?"

Sophia nodded lightly, "Yeah."

Back in familiar territory, she gradually found her inner calm.

Amanda cracked a smile, "Good to see you bouncing back."

Back on the ship, Amanda's mood lifted too, "Why don't you head back to your room and rest up a bit? I'll go whip up something for you to eat, get your strength back."

"No need."

Sophia instinctively declined.

Amanda patted her hand lightly, murmured "It's all right," and turned to head towards the galley, leaving Sophia standing solo on the deck.

There were a few tourists scattered about, snapping pics or soaking in the sunset.

On the gangway, passengers hurried back, grumbling about the ship setting sail too soon.

Sophia could just make out bits of the grumbling, but not much.

This was a freestyle cruise, the long haul part was done, and now on the way back, they were making a quick stop to pick up some stragglers. The vibe was laid-back, but the place wasn't short on people.

She glanced at her watch, remembered she promised to bring Amanda a suitcase, and with time to spare, she turned and headed for the ship's shopping mall, which wasn't any less stocked than the ones on land.

Brandon's car swung a neat arc into the parking lot and stopped on a dime.

He popped out of the car and bounded up the gangway.

At the check-in, he got stopped, but without breaking stride, he tossed over the invite from Harvey Ferber, brushed past the guards trying to block him, and boarded the ship, heading straight for the elevator.

Tourists on the deck gawked at him in surprise.

Clark, looking all rushed, was coming down from upstairs, his brow furrowed. He glanced up and caught sight of a stone-faced Brandon striding over, paused, and called out, "Mr. Crawley?"

Brandon shot a cold glance at him, "Where's Harvey Ferber?"

Clark, who'd never seen Brandon so icy, was momentarily stunned, but quickly snapped out of it. Seeing Brandon looked like trouble, he instinctively tried to cover, "Mr. Ferber's tied up..."

Before he could finish, Harvey Ferber's voice floated down from the upper deck, "Let Mr. Crawley come up."