The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 2

Brandon bee-lined home.

It was his first time ducking out of work to head back.

His pad, spick and span, no longer had any traces of Sophia, except for that divorce agreement on the coffee table, all mussed up by the breeze.

Brandon reached for it.

The agreement was straightforward. Sophia didn’t want a thing. What was hers before the marriage stayed hers after.

Her signature was already on the dotted line.

Her handwriting was gorgeous, all flowy and elegant.

Brandon zoned out staring at the signature on the divorce papers.

No clue how much time had passed when the rustling sound of the door opening snapped him back to reality.

Brandon whipped his head toward the entrance.

Patricia had just stepped in, and his sudden glance startled her big time.

“What’s up?” she asked, puzzled, clearly noticing the flicker of hope on Brandon's face slowly fade into dead calm.

"Nothing much," he replied coolly, "What brings you here?"

"I was worried Sophia might be bored stiff at home alone, just dropped by to keep her company," Patricia said with a smile, moving towards him, "What's with the sudden home run today? Something up with Sophia?"

As she spoke, her brows furrowed with concern, her head turning towards the room.

"She's fine," Brandon said, looking at her, "Do you drop by often?"

"Not really, just now and then."

Patricia's face was painted with awkward embarrassment, and upon finishing her sentence, she saw Brandon's brow furrow.

She quickly changed the subject to the papers in Brandon's hand. "What's that?"

Reaching to grab them, but before her fingertips could touch the documents, Brandon pressed them down first.

"It's nothing," Brandon said, looking at Patricia, "No need for you to come over if there's no issue. Sophia's got her work cut out for her. We'll come visit you when we get the chance."

"She," Patricia began, almost blurting out "What work could she possibly have?" but quickly bit her tongue, "Alright then."

She couldn't help but remind Brandon, "Sophia's been recuperating for over a year and still no baby bump. I hope she hasn't got some lingering issues. Have her get checked at the hospital when she can. I wouldn't want troubles with having kids later."

Brandon said, "It's the kid I didn't want."

Patricia looked at him, baffled.

Brandon issued the boot. "You better head back, and don't come around unless it's necessary."

Patricia's mouth hung open, wanting to protest, but ultimately, she shut it under Brandon's icy stare, and turned to leave.

Brandon watched the door close, glanced around the house now devoid of Sophia's presence, heaved a long sigh, picked up his phone, and dialed his assistant Kent. "Kent, set up a meeting with the lawyer, gotta sort out this divorce."

"Huh?" Kent was taken aback. Wasn't it just yesterday he'd sent Sophia over? They didn't seem to be at odds.

Brandon had already hung up, tossing the divorce papers on the coffee table and stepping out the door.

Sophia moved back to her small suburban house.

She'd bought it before getting hitched, just the right size for her solo living.

But it was in this tiny place where she and Brandon had their one-night stand, which led to the pregnancy that bound them together unwillingly.

That night, she couldn't resist her buddy Susan Cooper's begging and tagged along to the high school reunion.

Who would've thought Brandon, the guy who never showed up to these things, would be there too?

After high school, she and Brandon lost all contact, didn't join the class group chats or reunions. They were like ships passing in the night, briefly crossing paths before vanishing into their own worlds.

But Brandon had vanished even more completely.

No one knew where he'd gone or what he'd done. Whenever Sophia casually prodded her high school friends, there wasn't a peep about Brandon.

So, bumping into Brandon after all these years, Sophia was a mix of thrilled and nervous. The crush she never dared to voice was swirling in her chest, but she never found the courage to spill it, even talking to him was stiff and formal, especially with him sitting right next to her, their proximity made her even stiff and reserved.

Nervous and afraid it'd show, she hid behind eating and drinking, unwittingly getting tipsy.

Brandon, perhaps out of neighborly duty, volunteered to take her home after the party.

Sophia lived alone, and although she was a bit drunk, she wasn't out cold. Still, the alcohol did a number on her balance.

In her tiny one-room house, she tripped over shoes left by the door as soon as she entered. Brandon, quick on the uptake, caught her, and in the inertia of the moment, she ended up in his arms. The lights were off, Brandon had had a few himself, and whether it was the booze or the night's spell, when their gazes met, the chemistry was undeniable. Alone, tipsy, and with the man she'd pined over for years, their locked eyes became impossible to break away from, and as their breaths drew closer.

Sophia wasn't one for casual hook-ups. She'd never even had a boyfriend, but that night, she got lost in Brandon's deep, soft, yet intense eyes.

It was the gaze and the man she'd fantasized about countless times.

That night, they indulged to the fullest, both inexperienced but incredibly passionate.

She hadn't expected Brandon to be as green as her in love and other matters.

With his family background and looks, it was impossible he couldn't have had a girlfriend.

But over those two years, Sophia understood why Brandon had been single. a man wholly devoted to his work didn't have the spare effort or time for romance.

His strict upbringing also made him a stickler for clean living.

That night was probably the only slip-up in his life.

And for Sophia, too.

She had her life all mapped out.

She majored in architectural design in college and had a decent amount of talent and skills. She was looking to get some advanced training and was already getting her ducks in a row to apply to the School of Architecture of Apex Engineering University. But one unexpected night threw a wrench into all her plans.

She never saw it coming. She was pregnant.

They hadn't played it safe that night, and because they let loose a little too much, they both overslept the next day. With an interview to rush to, she didn't have time to swing by the pharmacy for the morning-after pill. She was also kind of crossing her fingers, hoping that she was in the clear since it was supposedly her safe period. But as fate would have it, she was caught off guard.

When Sophia found out she was pregnant, she was at sixes and sevens.

But Brandon was talking marriage, having the kid and all that jazz.

It had only been a fortnight since that night, and they hadn't been in touch since. Sophia hadn't planned on telling Brandon in the first place, but as luck would have it, she bumped into him at the hospital where he was visiting his grandpa.

She was a bit red-faced and wanted to keep the test results under wraps, but it was too late.

Brandon caught a glimpse of the HCG report she was hiding behind her back, and reached out for it.

"Let me see."

Just a simple, calm sentence, but it was laced with an aura that brooked no argument.

Hesitantly, Sophia handed over the results.

After staring at the report for a bit, Brandon asked her, "What's your game plan?"

Sophia shook her head, clueless. She hadn't anticipated this baby, and its arrival had totally scrambled her life plans.