The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 5

Sophia didn't have some kind of super memory. It was just that Laura had always had it in for her since she was a kid. Laura's favorite line was, "If your dad hadn't picked you up, you'd have starved to death by now. We've fed you, housed you, sent you to school. How have we ever wronged you? Is it too much to ask for a little help around the house?"

With that kind of nagging in her ear day in and day out, it would've been tough for her not to take notice.

She used to get really upset about it when she was little, not understanding why she wasn't like everyone else, why she didn't have parents who doted on her. But now that she had grown up, she had come to terms with it. Maybe some folks were just dealt a thinner deck when it comes to kin—whether it was parents, kids, or even spouses. They were just not meant to stick around long, and it seemed she was fated to go it alone in this life.

Lucky for her, her dad, Haley Yearwood, had always been decent to her.

He was the one who found her, and the first person she saw when she came to after passing out with a high fever.

Sophia couldn't really remember what went down back then, but she had this fuzzy memory of being alone out in the middle of nowhere for a long time, freezing cold and starving, scared out of her wits every day. So when she woke up to Haley holding and comforting her, she felt this deep sense of kinship and a bit of fear. She clung to Haley and wouldn't let go. When they couldn't find her family, Haley felt sorry for her and decided to keep her and adopt her.

Truth be told, their family wasn't in the best position to take in another mouth to feed, and Laura certainly wasn't keen on looking after someone else. But she couldn't win against Haley's resolve and ended up having to keep Sophia.

Haley had been a pushover his whole life, except for the one time he put his foot down about keeping her. Even though he wasn't able to provide the kind of care and protection a father should, given his constant work outside, Sophia still had a lot of respect and gratitude for Haley.

She had come back this time just to see Haley before she went abroad, knowing it wouldn't be as easy to return once she left the country.

Laura, not getting a response from Sophia, had escalated to throwing a fit outside, banging pots and pans around.

"What's going on now?" Haley's voice came from outside the door.

"Your precious daughter that we picked up! Do you have any idea how hard it's been for us to raise her all these years? If not for us, who knows, she might be still grafting away on some assembly line. And would she have had the chance to marry into a family like Brandon's? Look at her now, acting all high and mighty, too good for her own folks. What's wrong with helping out the family now that she's made something of herself?"

Haley's voice perked up with surprise, "Sophia's back?"

As his voice trailed off, there was a knock at the door.

Sophia went to open it and saw Haley standing there.

"Dad," she said softly.

Haley stepped in, lowering his voice, "Don't mind your mom. She's all talk."

Sophia nodded slightly, "Mhm."

Haley asked, "What brings you back all of a sudden? Where's Brandon?"

Sophia hesitated, then came clean, "We got divorced."

"Divorced?" Haley's expression turned serious, "Why?"

Sophia simply said, "We weren't right for each other."

Haley frowned, "Is it because of your mom and brother?"

Sophia shook her head, "Just tell them not to bother him anymore."

Haley looked hesitant. It wasn't that he wanted to go, but he couldn't convince Laura and Aaron; Laura called the shots at home.

Sophia understood his predicament and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll talk to them. I just came to see you today. I've been accepted into a graduate program abroad and I'm leaving tomorrow. It's a two-year program and I probably won't be able to visit often, so take care of yourself."

She took out a bank card from her purse, "There's some money on this card. Keep it for now and let me know if you need more."

Haley quickly tried to give it back, "You'll need the money abroad. Keep it, I have enough."

"No, I'm good," Sophia insisted, pushing the card back into his hand.

Haley, realizing she was leaving the next day, felt a sudden pang of sadness, "Why are you leaving so suddenly? Studying abroad is such a big step. Isn't studying here good enough?"

"I just wanted a change of scenery, to see the world a bit. Don't worry, two years will fly by," Sophia reassured him, and seeing Haley still looking worried, she added, "Besides, the School of Architecture I got into is ranked fourth in the world. I'm so lucky to have been accepted."

That seemed to cheer Haley up, his pride mixed with relief, "That's great. I always knew you'd go far."

Sophia smiled.

"Aunt Sophia," a sweet little voice called out, and as the words fell, a two-year-old girl had already wrapped herself around Sophia's legs.

Sophia bent down to scoop her up, "Betty, did you have fun out with your mommy?"

The little girl nodded vigorously, turning to look at her mother, Barbara Yearwood, who had followed her into the house.

Barbara, Aaron's wife, had been his high school sweetheart, and they got married a couple of years after graduating from college. They had this daughter two years ago.

Barbara was a looker and a go-getter, starting from the bottom as a simple insurance sales rep and climbing her way up to sales director, raking in a hefty annual salary. All her earnings, though, were poured into Aaron's business ventures, which just seemed to evaporate.

Barbara never seemed to mind that Aaron wasn’t working or taking care of the kid, and she didn't kick up a fuss, just soldiered on, earning the bread and raising their child.

Sophia couldn't fathom what spell her brother had cast on Barbara to make her so willing to support him for years on end. If she had to break it down, it probably boiled down to Aaron's sweet talk and the emotional value he brought to Barbara.

Barbara and Sophia weren't exactly chummy, but when Barbara caught Sophia's gaze, she politely greeted her, "Sophia, welcome back."

Sophia acknowledged with a "Mhm," her attention returning to the little tyke snuggled against her neck, tickling her playfully.

Laura had followed into the room by then, seeing the tenderness in Sophia's eyes and couldn't resist being snarky, "If you love kids so much, you better hurry up and have your own. Otherwise, when he finds someone else to have kids with, you’ll be the one crying about it."

After saying that, she couldn't help but mutter, "I have no clue what you were thinking back then. So young, yet couldn't even keep a baby. If you had that kid, we wouldn't have to grovel and beg like this now."

Sophia's expression faded a bit, and looking up at her, she said, "Mom, I've already divorced Brandon. Please don't bother them anymore."

Laura and Aaron were both taken aback, "What?"

Sophia didn't elaborate. She had a flight that evening and needed to pack her bags. After bidding Barbara and Haley goodbye, she left first.

Laura and Aaron were still trying to process the news.

"Is that for real? How come they're suddenly divorced?"

Haley sighed, "Yes, it's true. She's leaving tomorrow."

Aaron frowned, "Where is she going?"

Haley replied, "She said she's going back to school for two years."

Aaron's frown deepened, but he didn't say anything more. However, he couldn't keep things to himself and was worried, so he headed to Brandon's company that afternoon.

Upon arriving at the reception, he went straight to the front desk girl, "I'm here to see Brandon."

The receptionist smiled at him, "Hello, do you have an appointment?"

Aaron retorted, "He's my brother-in-law. Why would I need an appointment?"

And with that, he headed for the elevator.

The receptionist quickly tried to stop him, "Sir, I'm sorry, I need to confirm with Mr. Crawley's office first."