The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 120

Sophia didn't grill Brandon about where they were headed, and Brandon wasn't spilling the beans either. He didn't poke around asking her where she wanted to go. He just cruised aimlessly.

The night wind was whooshing by.

The traffic on the streets was trickling down to a mere dribble.

Sophia had no clue how long Brandon had been driving. As they passed from skyscrapers to squat buildings and eventually to vast stretches of barren land, Brandon finally pulled the car to a halt.

He just sat there, not budging or uttering a word, his handsome face slightly tense, calmly staring into the night.

And Sophia? She was just chilling in the passenger seat, not moving a muscle either.

Outside the car window was a suburban riverside park, connected to a pond and wetlands, sparsely populated, where you could clearly make out the sounds of insects and frogs.

After a long silence, Sophia slowly turned her head to look at Brandon.

His profile was still a bit tight, his face so calm it was almost expressionless.

Sophia wasn't sure if she had ticked off Brandon by passing up the opportunity or if her emotional outburst had rubbed him the wrong way. "Sorry," she murmured an apology, not even sure why she was saying sorry. Her spirits were still in the dumps, and she was feeling all kinds of mixed-up and miserable.

She had always thought she had a decent grip on her emotions, but today's drama and Brandon's intense questioning about whether that kid was still around had snapped her like an overwound string—just pop and it broke.

She couldn't figure out why she had such a strong reaction, but deep down, she was probably fuming at herself.

She was mad that she wasn't steadfast enough, mad that she was useless, that her emotions could still be so easily swayed by Brandon, leaving her no choice but to wimp out and steer clear of him.

Every single choice in her life was her own, and while each step wasn't exactly a walk in the park, she had given it her all.

The past two years had been the toughest but also the most fulfilling and joyful years of her life.

She had made loads of plans for herself, and these plans had zero room for Brandon. She had gotten used to a life without him.

Those years were like the time before she met Brandon—tough but satisfying, full of hope for what lay ahead. But then Brandon came along and threw a wrench in all her plans.

Back then, she was young enough to dream about love. When she realized it was just a pipe dream, it took a ton of willpower to pull herself away. Now, just as she was starting over, Brandon waltzed back into her life, and it felt like time was pushing her back to the year they reconnected, bringing along all the repressed emotions and self-doubt of those two years.

It felt like a scar that, just when it was about to fully heal, someone would come along with a knife and give it a stir, forcing her to remember the pain all over again.

Brandon didn't respond to her apology. He just let his arm rest on the steering wheel, and his handsome face only tensed up more, not less.

Sophia didn't say anything more either. She slowly leaned her head against the car window and closed her eyes.

Brandon turned to look at her.

Sophia looked peaceful, her breathing shallow and steady, clearly asleep.

Her eyes were still a bit puffy from crying.

The car window was still down, the wind still blowing. It must've been cold, because in her sleep, Sophia instinctively hugged herself and shrank down a bit more.

Brandon reached over and pressed the window control, and the wide-open window started to close slowly.

The gusts of wind that had been messing up Sophia's hair calmed, and her hair settled on her face.