The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 52

"Hello?" A sleepy voice came through the phone, and that's when Sophia suddenly snapped out of it, remembering that the time zone here was different from back home.

She meant to say she had dialed the wrong number and to let Haley get back to sleep, but before she could speak up, Haley was already sitting up, concerned, asking her, "Sophia, what's wrong? Did something happen for you to call so late?"

"No, I dialed by mistake," Sophia quickly reassured, "Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright, as long as you're okay," Haley replied with a sigh of relief, now fully awake and ready to chat, "How's it going over there? Settling in okay? Got enough dough? Do you need me to send you some extra cash?"

"No need, Dad, I'm good. I'm getting along well here, and my classmates are super nice to me, don't worry about me," Sophia said softly, comforting him, "But now that I'm not there, make sure you take care of yourself and don't skimp on good food."

"Don't worry, I'm doing great," Haley said with a chuckle, putting her at ease, "Just today I was talking about you with your brother and mom, thinking it's been a while since you called, wasn't sure how you were doing. Wanted to call you, but then I heard about the time difference and all that jazz, and I didn't want to mess with your classes or your rest, so I didn't dare call. And here you are, calling tonight."

His aged voice was filled with joy and contentment.

But Sophia felt a twinge in her nose.

Before she left, she had a bit of a fallout with her mom and her brother Aaron, and had only called Haley once to check in after arriving, neglecting her dad's feelings.

"How," Sophia hesitated, then softly asked, "How are my mom, my brother and sister-in-law doing?"

"All good, you don't need to worry, just take care of yourself," Haley said cheerily.

"Okay," Sophia responded quietly, sensing Haley's upbeat mood. She thought for a moment and couldn't help asking, "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"What's up? Go ahead," Haley said.

"Back when," Sophia pursed her lips slightly, her voice growing softer, "when you found me, did I ever say anything about my family or my name?"

Haley paused, then cautiously asked, "Sophia, why are you suddenly asking this? Did you find your family?"

His tone lost its cheer and took on a cautious note of sadness.

"No." Sophia quickly reassured him, sensing his disappointment, "Dad, don't worry. I met a classmate today who got separated from her family too, and we chatted about it. I was just curious, that's all. I'm not planning to look for them."

"I'm not trying to stop you from finding your family. It's just, I can't help but feel down thinking about the day you might leave and not come back," Haley sighed, his tone dropping.

"Don't be like that, Dad," Sophia said, feeling somewhat guilty, "I was just asking, don't overthink it. No matter what, you'll always be my dad."

Her attempt to comfort him didn't do much to lift his spirits, leading to a series of sighs over the phone. Whether it was the deep of the night stirring up unwarranted sentimental emotions, Haley seemed particularly down.

Sophia regretted bringing up the topic, feeling guilty for disturbing Haley's peace.

As she had grown older, perhaps due to a sense of security, Haley had become reluctant to discuss her past. Whenever the topic of how he found her came up, his mood would instantly plummet, making him seem afraid of her leaving.

After this happened a few times, Sophia began to understand Haley's emotional hang-ups and tried not to press him about her past.