The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 165

Sophia quietly met his gaze, staying silent.

She had no clue how much he'd heard or which words had set him off.

"Why don't you speak up when they treat you like that?"

After what felt like forever, Brandon finally broke the silence, his voice cool as ice.

"Do you really not know, or is it because you never cared?" Sophia softly retorted, locking eyes with him, "That time you and your dad were talking about Yolanda in the study, he said you screwed up by drinking too much and should've never gone to that damn reunion. You let that woman take advantage of the situation."

Sophia's voice briefly faltered, as she looked at him, "That 'woman' he mentioned was me. A woman he wouldn't even bother to call by name, do you think he'd ever give me the respect I deserve?"

Brandon frowned, about to speak, but Sophia cut him off, "Even if that was the first time he showed that attitude towards me in front of you, did you ever give me a chance to speak up?"

"You're always busy, at work or otherwise," Sophia continued, her tone still calm and measured, "Every time I psych myself up and muster the courage to talk to you, you're either on a call or buried in emails. Then off you go, back to work. You've always got endless work and calls to take. Do you have any idea how long it takes for me to gear myself up, the courage I need to find just to talk to you?"

Brandon's brow furrowed deeper, seemingly puzzled as to why she needed to prep herself to talk to him.

"Brandon." Sophia looked into his eyes, "It's not just your employees who are afraid of you, I am too. You're always composed, calm, meticulous, restrained. You have so many good qualities, they make you unbeatable, but it's this same you that I can't feel a hint of normal human warmth from."

"I'm just like the rest of them, always tense and unsure around you, terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing. I don't know how to get close to you, and you've never signaled that I can."

"Our relationship has never felt like husband and wife, not even close friends. We're more like boss and subordinate than anything else."

"They say the one who falls in love first, loses. I married you because I liked you, but I've never felt an ounce of that from you."

"I thought affection would grow over time, so until you learned to care about me, I couldn't help but tread lightly, carefully considering my words and actions. I'd agonize over whether you'd dislike it if I mentioned your parents, if you'd think I was gossiping, if it would make you hate me. Should I just keep out of it, since it's not a big deal anyway?"

"Every time I finally convinced myself to talk to you about it, you'd be either taking a call or checking emails. You never hung up the phone or shut down your computer to let me finish. Your work always came first, even while waiting for food at a restaurant, you'd still be glued to your work laptop."

"I get tired too. After it happened over and over, I thought, forget it, I've got no energy left to fuss over it because, by then, I was ready to leave. I didn't want you anymore, do you get that, Brandon?"

Towards the end, Sophia's emotions started to unravel, her voice losing its usual calm and her eyes reddening.

This side of Sophia reminded Brandon of the time at Don's gathering when she found out he was the client behind the project, her breakdown.

His gaze on her was complex, watching the tears slide down her cheeks. He reached out to wipe them away, but Sophia pushed his hand aside.

"Stop it, Brandon, I just don't want you anymore. Do you understand?" Sophia choked out, pushing him away, "Everyone says you're good to me, gentle, considerate, thoughtful, that I'm ungrateful. But all your kindness feels programmed, without warmth."