The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 540

Sophia had been off the grid for days, as if she'd vanished into thin air, with the only trace left being her scarf tangled up in the branches.

Brandon has personally hit up all the nearby villages, but no one'd fished anyone out of the river, nor was there any buzz about Sophia.

With a massive bounty of ten million on the line, people were tempted, sure, but no one'd got any solid leads. And not a call from Sophia either.

If she were still kicking, there was no way she wouldn't have called.

These past few days, Brandon had been glued to his phone, not letting the battery dip below 50%, and he'd been snatching up every call like it was the last copter out of Nam, scared to death he'd miss a call from Sophia.

But nada. Her familiar voice hadn't graced his phone since. She was like poof! Gone without a trace, not even a goodbye.

She could ditch him, but there was no way she'd bail on Theresa. Theresa was her world.

So, if she could have, she wouldn't have left Theresa hanging.

Theresa must've sensed something; she'd been quiet as a mouse, clinging to the teddy bear Sophia gave her, not even asking when mommy was coming home. Just hugging her teddy and whispering to it in her room.

Only at night, when nightmares woke her, did she cry out for her mom. Every night, she woke up crying her heart out, screaming for her mommy.

All Brandon could do was hold her and try to soothe her over and over, his heart aching like hell.

Since Sophia took off, Brandon had been tossing and turning all night, too. Every time he closed his eyes, it was all Sophia - her calm, her grace, her focus at work. Every memory of her vivid and alive, as if she was right there. But the moment he opened his eyes, it was just the chill of empty space.

That feeling hit even harder when he was back in the home they shared. Every corner of the room was filled with her presence, her scent, but she was nowhere to be found.

He could barely stand a second in that room; the sense of loss was crushing, almost choking him. But he couldn't bear to leave the place still echoing with her essence.

It was like he was torturing himself, pacing around that room, as time stretched out long and unbearable.