The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 100

Sophia only got wind of Haley's accident the day after it went down.

Laura herself gave her a ring.

"You wicked girl, you vanish for two years, don't even drop a call or send some cash back home, all that time raising you up for nothing. Your father adored you, and all he got was disappointment. You know your dad's knocking on death's door?"

On the other end of the line, Laura's sobbing, almost gasping for air, turned Sophia's face white as a sheet.

"What's wrong with my dad?" she blurted out, her voice laced with urgency.

Though she hadn't touched base with Laura and Aaron, she'd kept in sporadic contact with her dad, Haley, even had a video chat just last week.

In that video, Haley looked worn and aged from years of boozing, but he still seemed to have some pep in his step, not at all like he was sick or anything.

"He had a car accident, hit someone, and now he's laid up in the ICU. No telling if he's gonna pull through." Laura's voice was breaking, the words coming out in fits and starts. "Before they wheeled him in, he was out of it, kept calling your name."

"Don't panic, I'm on my way back now."

After calming Laura with those words, Sophia hung up.

She told Laura not to panic, but inside, she was freaking out.

Sophia didn't dare waste any time. She buzzed Susan, left her some instructions, and booked a flight back home for that very day.

Brandon handed off the Haley situation to Kent.

Haley had called that day looking to borrow some dough.

Haley had a fender bender, both he and the other guy got banged up pretty bad, ended up in the ICU. Traffic cops hadn't figured out who was at fault yet, and the other party was adamant that Haley was to blame, demanding the Yearwood family cough up for the medical bills upfront.

Aaron wasn't clued in on Haley's condition, but knowing his old man was fond of a drink, feared he might've been driving under the influence. Given the other party's steadfast attitude and his own insecurity, plus the lack of surveillance at the crash site making it tough to pin down who was at fault, and witnesses who couldn't quite give a clear account, though they all saw Haley's car hit the other guy's.

Aaron was leaning towards the idea that it was probably his dad's fault. Both sides were facing hefty medical bills, possibly a fat stack of compensation on top.

Aaron did some digging, found out the compensation wasn't gonna be peanuts, and he couldn't cover it. In a panic, he rushed to Brandon for help.