The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 387

Knowing them all too well, from her pregnancy until now, Sophia had never dared share a hint about her child with them. She even kept it from her father, Haley, fearing exactly this scenario.

The bond of blood is far stronger than that of marriage, an unerasable mark etched into one's bones. If they discovered Theresa's existence, they'd only use their status as uncle and grandmother to meddle even more with Brandon and his family.

That was the last thing Sophia wanted.

Their home was on the outskirts of town, near the airport, miles away from here. Sophia had no idea how they'd still managed to cross paths.

Aaron's attitude, outwardly defending her, filled her with dread, reminiscent of those two years of marriage dominated by people who had no business in it.

But clearly, Aaron was the same as ever, lacking empathy for her situation. Faced with her outburst, he only grew more frustrated with her, accusing her of being ungrateful, weak, foolish—wasting her youth on bearing children for a man, without even securing the basics for the child's life.

"Do you think you're being noble?" Aaron was fuming, "Do you think men will be grateful or guilty because of it? Don't be naive, you're just deluding yourself, you know? Let me tell you, don't ever count on a man's conscience. Feelings fade, but money is concrete! If you don't take advantage now while they still feel a bit guilty and secure more for your child, you'll regret it later."

Sophia said, "My situation is different from others. I found out I was pregnant after my divorce, and I went ahead and had the baby in secret, against all odds. I just wanted a family member of my own, that's all. I'm fully capable of raising my child, so please, don't try to plan my life for me."

"Capable? What kind of capabilities do you even have?" Aaron couldn't help but give her a dismissive look, "No matter what you've got up your sleeve, do you think you can match her dad's clout? His wealth? When it comes to family background, connections, and social status, our family doesn't hold a candle to his. What I can't stand the most is people like you who always wear their hearts on their sleeves, spouting nonsense about valuing love over money. Anyone with a brain would've found a way to get the kid back to her father's family by now, but there you go, playing the martyr. Self-respect is the cheapest commodity these days, and only fools like you cling to that pathetic pride."

They're just not on the same wavelength.

Just like before, she could never communicate with him.

Sophia had no doubt that next, leveraging his status as Theresa's uncle, he'd start throwing his weight around, approaching Brandon and his parents without any qualms, trying to pull strings and maintain his so-called connections.

Sophia felt utterly powerless looking at Aaron.

They didn't care whether she was doing well or not, so they felt free to do as they pleased.

She was no longer tied to this family, and now she had no leverage over him.

Brandon's parents weren't on her side—in fact, they were hostile. They were always looking for flaws in her to reinforce the labels they'd slapped on her. So regardless of her relationship with Aaron and Laura, they would just pin their actions on her, using it as proof that they were right about her all along.

In the end, she and Brandon would be back to square one. Sophia felt miserable.

"Aaron," her voice softened, a hint of a choke in her words, "In all these years, have you ever really considered me your sister?"

Aaron was taken aback by the question.