The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 118

“What’s going on here?” Don stammered, his eyes darting back and forth between Brandon’s chilly demeanor and Sophia, who had her back turned to him. “Weren’t we all just on a first-name basis with you two? How did we jump to divorce and kids in the blink of an eye?”

Brandon remained silent, his eyes still fixed on Sophia’s back.

Sophia had stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. She stood silently, her posture rigid, her silhouette slender and upright, not uttering a word either.

Don, growing anxious for answers, looked to Brandon. “Brandon, spill it, what’s the deal with you and Sophia—what’s your relationship exactly?”

Brandon glanced at him. “She’s my wife.”

Don was shocked.

“You mean your wife?” Don felt like his heart was about to give out. “And you had the nerve to suggest I marry her?”

Brandon’s cold gaze swept over him. “Got the cheek to say that? Did the name ‘Sophia’ bite you or something? You’ve been yapping at me for days and not once did you mention the designer’s name. Did you?”

How was he supposed to know that a big-shot CEO like him would be mixed up with a designer from halfway across the world? He figured since he didn’t mention her name, Brandon would probably forget it as soon as he turned around, and he’d just have to repeat himself. Might as well just call her "the designer" to save the hassle.

Don remembered Brandon was divorced. He hadn’t forgotten the slip of the tongue from Kent. He recalled Kent saying, “Who the hell decides to erase traces of their ex-wife and renovate two years after a divorce?” And Brandon had just mentioned divorce too.

He didn’t try to correct him. He just looked thoughtfully at Brandon and then back at Sophia.

Sophia had turned to face Brandon with the same calm and gentle expression she always had.

“Why does it have to be about fear?” she asked, her voice still soft. “Is it wrong for me to want to make a clean break from the past?”

“Have you truly cut ties?” Brandon asked, his voice quiet but frosty. “Sophia, be honest with me, is the child still around?”

Sophia bit her lower lip, not saying a word, but her eyes were already welling up with tears, her emotions suddenly spiraling out of control as they began to fall.

She raised her hand to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more fiercely they fell, and her silence turned into suppressed sobs.

Don was thrown into a panic, unsure whether to offer comfort or how to do so, and looked worriedly at Brandon.

Brandon stood still, watching Sophia without moving, his eyes reddening slightly, his gaze harder than ever.

Don was at a loss, not sure whether to intervene or walk away, his eyes filled with concern for Sophia.

Sophia continued to cry, trying desperately to stop but unable to, her emotions clearly out of control.

His anxious gaze shifted back to Brandon.

Brandon, however, had turned his head coldly away.

Don clearly saw the tension in Brandon’s jaw and the violent bobbing of his Adam's apple.

He wanted to curse.

But before he could say a word, Brandon suddenly stepped forward, stopping in front of Sophia and then wrapping his arms around her, hugging the sobbing Sophia tightly.