The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 536

Don bolted to Zion City and immediately hit up Kent to ask where they were at. Kent had just wrapped up some stuff Brandon had dumped on him and had made it back to his hotel room to crash when he got wind of Don's arrival, so he hustled down to meet him.

Kent looked like he was running on fumes, having not caught a wink of sleep all night and then spending the whole morning getting things sorted.

"How's Brandon holding up now?"

Spotting Kent hustling down the steps, Don popped the question while closing his car door, a worried tone in his voice.

Kent just heaved a sigh, shook his head in silence, and murmured, "He's upstairs. I'll take you to him. He's been searching in the water all night, not a second of sleep, passed out in the morning from the strain, and now he's back from the hospital looking after the kid without a bite to eat all morning. I'm scared he'll just collapse."

Don was taken aback, "Theresa's here too?"

"The plan was to finish pouring the concrete in the beams and columns today and take Theresa on a vacation." Kent whispered back, "Mr. Crawley had everything set up for work, and then,"

Don fell silent. It was a while before he spoke again, his voice hoarse, "Any word from Sophia, from the police?"

Kent shook his head gently, "Nothing."

"I'm torn between dreading news and fearing silence," he sighed heavily, turning to head up the steps.

He'd been dealing with all this since morning, scared stiff of getting that call to identify a body. But the lack of news was just as unnerving.

Don felt the same heavy-hearted dread, a sorrow almost as crushing as the thought of identifying a body, but at least for now, there was a glimmer of hope.

He couldn't begin to fathom how a life, so vibrant just yesterday, could now be?

Cindy happened to come downstairs just then and spotted Don from afar. Her lips quivered, and her emotions got the better of her before she could even speak.

"Mr. Dempsey," even her call was laced with a sob.

"What happened last night?" Don urgently inquired as he headed upstairs, not missing a step, "Weren't you with Director Yearwood?"

Cindy hurried after him, explaining as they walked, "The director asked me to stay back at the hotel to finish up a design project that was due."

As she spoke, tears started rolling down her cheeks again, "I should have gone with her. Maybe none of this would've happened if I had been there. It's all my fault, all my fault."

"What about Augus?" Don cut through her self-blame, "Why didn't he go with her?"

Cindy froze, "He didn't come on the business trip with us. Right before we left, there was a rush on the gallery project, and since Sophia couldn't leave, she had him stay back at the office to handle it. She didn't ask him to come."

Don frowned involuntarily; he hadn't been looped in on this.

The original plan was for Augus and Cindy to come together, and it was only after they couldn't manage that Sophia stepped in. So, he had assumed Augus would be joining the trip.

Kent, however, instantly got why Sophia had made that call, just finding an excuse to keep Augus away from the site.

She had voiced her suspicions about Augus to him, and if she had doubts, she definitely wouldn't want him anywhere near the construction site.

Seeing Don's frown, Kent couldn't help but look at him and asked, "Didn't he show up at the office today?"

Don shook his head, "I'm not sure, the office was buzzing, and I was out the door for a meeting first thing."

Plus, with Augus supposed to be on the trip with Sophia and Cindy, he wouldn't have thought twice about not seeing him around.

Kent's brow furrowed too, and just as he was about to say something, he noticed Don had stopped in his tracks, staring into an open room with a heavy, pained expression.

Kent turned to look inside the room as well.

There was Brandon, carefully tucking a sleeping Theresa into bed, pulling the covers up over her, but he lingered, just watching her, letting his fingers gently trace her cheek, the look on his face one of deep sorrow and desolation.