The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 45

Brandon just watched her silently, waiting for her answer.

Sophia hesitated for a moment, and then looked at him, "Did you overhear me on the phone just now?"

Brandon gave a slight nod, pretty chill about it, "I happened to be at the door and caught a bit of it by accident."

Sophia awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth, "What a coincidence."

Brandon cracked a small smile too, "Yeah, quite the coincidence."

His eyes still fixed on her, he repeated his earlier question, "What's not clicking between us?"

Sophia's soup sipping slowed down to a halt as she looked at him, "Why are you all of a sudden so curious about this?"

"I'm just wondering," Brandon said, his composure as cool as a cucumber.

The expected answer.

Sophia stirred her soup spoon lightly, falling silent for a while, before looking at him, "Different goals, I guess."

Brandon probed, "Like what?"

"You're all about work, and I'm all about life," Sophia spoke softly, her eyes on him, "All you want is marriage, but I'm looking for love."

Brandon's brow furrowed ever so slightly, he just looked at her, not saying a word.

Sophia let out a small chuckle, "Marriage might be just a duty to you. It doesn't matter who you marry, who the mother of your children is. To you, a partner might just be a symbol called 'wife.' Anyone could fit the bill, but I can't. Besides these internal issues, we're also not a match on the outside."

Sophia continued, "You come from a well-off family, all wealthy and powerful, plenty of girls from similar backgrounds are into you. While my family, we've got nothing, and my relatives are,"

Sophia paused, shook her head with a chuckle, then looked at him again, "Basically, we're just from different worlds, right? We got together by some fluke, and it's been a mistake from the start. Now we're just getting our lives back on track, that's all."

Brandon looked at her, his expression serene, "Were these past two years just a mistake to you?"

Sophia thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah."

Brandon's lips pursed slightly as he turned his head away.

Sophia saw his Adam's apple bobbing, as if he was holding back his emotions, and his chiseled side profile tensed ever so slightly.

She looked at him, puzzled. Today, she had seen too many emotional sides of Brandon, a bit off from the Brandon she knew. She wasn't sure if the problem was with her or with him.

She didn't think she had changed much from before, and their interactions had been pretty consistent. She was always open where she needed to be, so she couldn't fathom why Brandon, usually so absorbed in his work, was suddenly sweating the small stuff.

Brandon didn't say much else, just turned to look at her with a glance that clearly carried a mix of blame and reproach.

Sophia felt inexplicably scrutinized and couldn't help but meet his gaze.

Brandon had regained his calm and put some food on her plate, "Let's eat first."

Sophia nodded lightly, "Yeah."

And then she started eating, taking small bites.

She wasn't really hungry; eating was a bit of a struggle for her.

Luckily, Brandon was considerate of her appetite. The dinner was thoughtfully prepared, all nutritious yet light and easy to digest foods, so she didn't end up hurling like she had a few times before.

Brandon had clearly put a lot of effort into the meal.

Putting down her utensils, Brandon looked at her with concern, "You okay?"

Sophia nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Dinner was really to my taste tonight."

She also thanked him, "Thanks for this."

Brandon stayed silent for a while, then looked at her, "Sophia, you don't have to be so formal with me."

Sophia looked at him, puzzled.