The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 458

Theresa was stoked too.

She was totally on board with this surprise dad popping up out of the blue.

Honestly, just moseying along in this lukewarm relationship with Brandon might just be the ticket for Theresa's growth.

As long as she didn’t bail on herself, that is.

But then, Sophia felt kinda blue about it all.

She grew up clueless about what family love is, what romance feels like, what home means, or how it feels to be cherished. Life's handed her lemons and vinegar, with hardly any sugar to call her own.

She wondered if this choice meant she'd signed up for this life for good.

She'd spent two years proving that she and Brandon were like oil and water, and these past few months, she’d tried to give it another whirl. But every time she spotted the slightest hiccup, it was like being tossed back two years in time.

With a future stretching out so far ahead, hanging with Brandon still didn't shine a light on any new possibilities.

Being with him meant never shaking off his parents' disdain and hassle, along with Brandon's mood swings and Yolanda's clinginess.

When things were good, Brandon was dreamy, making her feel like she was floating in a fantasy, totally surreal.

But when things went south, it was like winding the clock back to zero. Brandon could flip-flop between sweet and decisive like it was nothing.

The only time she caught a glimpse of a different future was during those two years post-divorce. no drama, no pesky people. She had no expectations from anyone—just her and her kiddo, full of hope for the future, psyched for her kid's arrival, for her growth, for making it in her career, for all the good stuff in life, and maybe even for a shot at some romantic love story.

Watching the father-daughter duo playing and laughing not far off, Sophia let out a long sigh and shifted her gaze to the vast night sky outside.

The cityscape was all there, laid out before her eyes.

The kids' park on the hillside offered a killer view.

Brandon, while having fun with Theresa, looked over at Sophia.

There she was, sitting at a small round table in the rest area, propping her cheek with one hand, lost in the city's night lights, her profile bathed in moonlight, serene as ever, but also seeming like it could scatter in the wind at any moment.

Brandon wasn't keen on this so-called cold war with Sophia. They were always straight shooters, ready to talk things through. It's just that their wants had hit a deadlock, making communication a no-go.

They couldn't find a middle ground anymore, and talking it out was just a tug-of-war over who'd cave first.

They got where each other was coming from, but making concessions was like a bitter pill to swallow.

It wasn't about who was right or wrong anymore; they just wanted a comfy life.

But Sophia's comfort zone was away from him and his fam, and his was with her and their kid by his side, creating an unsolvable pickle.

Logically, Brandon knew he should let go. After all, he knew he couldn't force her, but emotionally, he couldn't cut the cord.