The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 198

Brandon chuckled and shook his head, deftly changing the subject, "Do you plan on settling down in the West district for good?"

Zachary responded with a smile and a finger point, "There you go dodging the bullet again. Don’t tell me you plan on staying a bachelor for life?"

Still smiling, Brandon simply shook his head and glanced at the chessboard with a game still in play. He picked up a black piece and placed it firmly on the board.

"Mr. Gardner, let me keep you company with a game of chess."

Clearly, he wasn't keen on dwelling on the topic.

Mr. Gardner shook his head with a smile, knowing it was best not to pry further and picked up a white chess piece, "Let's go for it. It's been a while since we've had a good spar."

Sophia also knocked off work early today, not really in the mood for her job, and bolted as soon as the clock struck quitting time.

Seeing her pack up, Ivan started to shut down his computer and got ready to leave too.

"Let's grab dinner together tonight," he suggested.

Sophia wasn't really feeling it. With a smile, she declined, "Some other time. I've got stuff to handle today."

Ivan just smiled back, "Sure thing." He didn't push it.

Sophia headed home alone, and couldn't tell if it was the sweltering heat making her sluggish, but she didn't feel like cooking and casually ordered some takeout online.

While waiting for her meal, Sophia video-called Theresa. The little munchkin was engrossed in her Legos, her young face lit up with wonder as she stumbled over her words excitedly explaining what she was building to Sophia.

Every time she saw Sophia, she'd light up with joy and excitement, but never fussed or clamored to see her mom, a well-behaved sight that was heart-wrenching.

Watching Theresa like this, Sophia felt a pang of longing, and couldn't help but think back to running into Brandon at the company park earlier that day, the way they'd brushed past each other.

To say it didn't stir anything inside would be a lie; after all, it's someone she'd had feelings for nearly a decade. There was bound to be a sense of times gone by and a little disorientation.

Time and distance are truly the best remedies for forgetting someone.

In such a haze, looking at Theresa made Sophia wonder, did she make a mistake returning home?

Susan, sitting nearby, definitely caught Sophia zoning out.

"What's up?" she asked, "You seem off today."

"It's nothing." Sophia shook her head, "Just missing you guys and then I can't help but wonder if coming back was the right call."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Susan reassured her, "That was a great opportunity, and you might not have gotten another chance like it. And if you're feeling guilty about Theresa, you shouldn't. It's not like you're away for good; it's just for a work trip, that's all. I'll be back once my work handover is done, and it hasn’t been that long."

She looked at Sophia, "Don't even think about becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom. When she grows up, she won't thank you for it. She'll just see her mom as someone who didn't do anything with her life, someone who can't give her any sense of pride or glory."