The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 396

"Mommy!" Theresa's eyes lit up instantly when she saw Sophia appear on the screen, calling out to her with a voice that danced with surprise and delight, tender and endearing.

The happiness in her voice was infectious. Sophia responded with a light tone, and then asked her, "Theresa, have you had your dinner?"

"Uh-hun, all done. Kent just made us dinner," Theresa said, "His cooking is yummy."

Sophia chuckled, "Is that so? Is he still there?"

"Nope," Theresa shook her head, "He’s playing with my toys with godmother."

To convince Sophia, Theresa clumsily aimed the phone's camera towards Kent and Susan.

There they were, sitting on the floor right on Theresa's play mat—Susan kneeling and Kent squatting alongside her. The two of them were happily putting together Theresa's Lego set, occasionally consulting the instruction manual to figure out the patterns.  Kent would call out for a piece, and Susan would eagerly hand it to him.

They were having so much fun they'd almost forgotten about their little host.

"Uncle Kent said he would teach me how to build with Legos, but then he, well, he started teaching godmom instead," Theresa explained to Sophia with a hint of innocence, her gaze watching the two adults collaborate with glee, "So, I called you."

"It's okay," Sophia reassured her with a smile, "Theresa has every day to play, but Uncle Kent and godmom have work on weekdays. Can you let them play for a while?"

"Okay." Theresa nodded seriously, her gaze returning to the phone screen. Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "Mommy, are you with Daddy?"

"Yes, Daddy's here," Sophia said, shifting the camera to Brandon.

Brandon smiled and waved, "Did Theresa miss Mommy and Daddy?"

Theresa nodded.

Then she asked, "Daddy, when are you and Mommy coming back?"

"We'll be back home soon," Brandon reassured her, "You just play Legos with Uncle Kent and godmom for now, okay?"

Theresa agreed cheerfully, "Okay."

After saying goodbye to Sophia, she hung up the phone.

Brandon checked the time; it was just past eight, still early.

He looked at Sophia.

"Let's head back," Sophia said, "We can't leave Theresa to Susan and Kent."

"They’re probably enjoying it."

Brandon's voice was calm, the implication clear in his voice: Whether it was cooking or playing Legos, it seemed to him that Theresa was just a prop for them to build their relationship.

It was convenient to have the child around as a buffer against any awkward silences that might arise.

Sophia coughed lightly, "Well, there are certain things that are not so convenient with a child around." Like, say, when they were in the mood for a kiss.

Brandon glanced at her.

Sophia's ears felt a bit warm, discussing this topic with him still felt a tad awkward.

"Let's go," she shifted the subject slightly, looking away and starting to walk back.

Brandon watched her with a hint of amusement, caught up to her, and naturally took her hand in his.

Sophia turned to look at him.

Brandon acted as if he hadn't noticed.

"Let's go," he echoed softly, leading her towards the school gates with her hand in his.

Sophia's fingers twitched, but she didn't retract her hand; instead, she let him guide her back.

The campus road at eight in the evening was long and quiet.

The night wind was strong, tossing leaves into the air, tracing delicate arcs.

Dimly lit by the scattered streetlights, their shadows elongated and intertwined by the light, dancing together like silent confessors to their closeness.

They had walked this campus road together before, but this was the first-time hand in hand.

Back in the day, after evening self-study, Brandon would often wait for her at the back gate.

He never said he was waiting for her, but she took it for granted that he was. She'd hurriedly pack up her bag, then walk with him.

Back then, they'd blend into the crowd of students leaving school, not talking much, not standing too close, at most he'd casually grab her hand if she got jostled by the crowd, but their silent covenant was enough to make her heart flutter for a long time.

When the two got home, Kent and Susan were still there. Seeing the large bouquet of roses in Sophia's arms, their eyes moved from the flowers to Sophia's face, then to Brandon, and back to Sophia.

It was a kind of attention Sophia was unaccustomed to; relationships like this were foreign to her.

It's not that she lacked suitors, but since she knew she couldn't respond to their affections, she'd always politely declined any gifts or flowers, and when she couldn't refuse, she'd leave them by the trash—never bringing them home. Susan knew her best, so her shock made Sophia feel even more embarrassed.

"Is today some special occasion?"

Kent asked in a panic, his brain frantically trying to recall if he missed something.

Romance wasn't his forte, but even he knew the significance of giving flowers on certain days.

Forgetfulness was Brandon's idiosyncrasy, not his.

Brandon looked at Kent's panicked face and replied coolly, "Yeah."

Kent's brow furrowed even more as he searched his memory for the special occasion while awkwardly apologizing to Susan, "Sorry, I've been so busy with work lately, I've kind of lost track of the days."

Susan was also perplexed , thinking hard about what special day it might be, while placating Kent, "No worries, I've been home every day, I don't even know what month it is now."

Only Theresa looked at the roses with wide-eyed joy, "They're so pretty," she said, tiptoeing to get a better look.

Sophia crouched down and brought the flowers closer to her.

Theresa reached out curiously to touch the petals, then quickly retracted her hand, not wanting to cause any damage, and couldn't help but ask Sophia eagerly, "Mommy, where did these flowers come from?"

"Daddy bought them," Sophia whispered to her.

"Then why didn't Daddy buy some for me too?" Theresa asked Brandon, looking up at him with a puzzled expression.

Brandon crouched down in front of her: "How about we get you some for Theresa's birthday? Would that be good?"

Theresa nodded: "Okay."

Kent couldn't help but sneakily ask Susan: "Is it Sophia's birthday today?"

Susan shook her head: "No, it is not."

Kent's frown deepened.

He just couldn't figure out what was special about today.

While Susan and Sophia weren't looking, Kent couldn't resist and quietly hit up Brandon: "Boss, what's the occasion today?"

He even lowered his voice, scared to be overheard by others.

Brandon, reaching for something above the liquor cabinet, didn't even lift his eyes: "You don't know what day it is? Seriously?"

Kent was even more confused and anxious: "What is it then?"

Brandon glanced at him: "Figure it out yourself."

With that, he walked over to Theresa.

Theresa was helping Sophia with flower arranging.

Sophia carefully placed a rose into the vase, her eyes soft and serene.

Theresa, propped up on her toes, watched eagerly as her mother arranged the flowers. Both their faces—one looking down, the other looking up—were pictures of harmony, creating a scene as beautiful as any painting.