The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 498

Staring at the white jade necklace lying peacefully in the jewelry box, Sophia zoned out for a sec before her hand slowly reached for it. She picked it up with care.

The pendant glistened with a lustrous glow under the light, exquisite in its craftsmanship, unique in design, and made of a material not just any Joe could afford.

Back when Sophia was itching to track down her family, she tried to have it appraised at the jade market. The experts could tell what it was made of but couldn't pinpoint where it was circulated from or who had crafted it. So, chasing down its origins was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

That pretty much snuffed out her hope of finding her kin. It was around that time she bumped into Brandon again, got knocked up, and tied the knot with him. She poured all her energy into Brandon and her child. Her mind was set on living the good life with Brandon, so she didn't bother to hunt down her family tree anymore. After Theresa came along, the urge to search thinned out even more. Time was tight, and gradually, the necklace slipped her mind most days. She'd practically forgotten it existed.

It only came back to her in certain moments, like tonight at the DIY craft shop, when it popped into her head out of the blue.

Sophia wanted to incorporate the Jesus figure into a DIY necklace she was making for Brandon. Having survived alone in the frigid wilderness as a young girl, she figured maybe it was this necklace that had been her guardian angel all along.

She'd had pretty smooth sailing growing up, so she wanted to pass on this protective charm to Brandon.

But as cool as the necklace was, both its style and length were a no-go for a grown man – it screamed little boy's accessory. So, Sophia's game plan was to craft a mini version of the Jesus out of the same material and embed it into the necklace. Best of both worlds, right?

Sophia held the white jade necklace up to the light, brought it close to the wardrobe, and snapped a pic with her phone before putting it away, tucking the white jade back into its box.

That's when Brandon strolled in with Theresa, fresh from her bath.

He'd just washed her hair and wrapped it in a towel. Passing by Sophia, he caught a glimpse of her stashing a jewelry box in the safe but didn't pry.

He had his stuff at home and only brought over personal documents – didn't need a safe for that.

He never snooped through it, same way Sophia didn't rifle through his belongings. Same deal with their phones.

Sophia never checked his phone; he never checked hers.

Without bringing it up, Sophia just glanced back at him and Theresa, asking, “All done with the bath?”

“Yep,” Brandon replied, “just washed her hair.”

“I'll blow dry it for her,” Sophia offered, closing the safe and getting to her feet.

“No need, I got this. You do your thing,” Brandon said, and seeing the safe door shut, he added, “What's with the safe? Something up?”

“Nah,” Sophia shook her head, “just grabbing some stuff.”

Brandon nodded and let it be.

He plopped Theresa on the bed to dry her hair, skillfully wielding the blow dryer.

Theresa, enjoying her daddy's salon treatment, sat still as a statue.

Sophia didn't have a chance to chip in.