The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 542

Two peeps agreed to meet up in the underground parking lot; then they both hit up Brandon's phone, but got ghosted with zero pick-ups.

Kent and Don were worried sick. They had no choice but to comb through Brandon's Facebook, ringing up everyone to see if there was any way to get a hold of him; they even buzzed Martin.

Martin was slammed with work at home, just chilling on the living room couch with his laptop perched on his thigh, fingers flying over the keyboard. But he couldn't help pausing and then to glance at the TV that was on.

The tube was still spinning the news about the cash reward for tips on Sophia, plus all the pundits weighing in on where Sophia's body might have been swept off to by the ocean.

Martin couldn’t focus on his work; he was feeling heavy-hearted, like something was weighing on him, and it was kinda sickening.

He wasn't tight with Sophia, but it was tough to picture that quiet, gentle, and talented girl leaving the world so suddenly. She was just fine a few days ago.

Louis was tuned in too; he was the one who turned on the set. Ever since the day Sophia's incident hit the news, he'd been glued to the coverage, heaving sighs all day long.

He was just like Martin, didn't know Sophia that well, but thought the world of her. Her sudden exit from this world hit him hard.

The snuffing out of such a young life so abruptly, he just couldn't wrap his head around it emotionally.

He was also fretting over how Renata would take it, hadn't had the guts to let her in on it, nor let her watch the news.

He'd coax her off to bed before daring to flick on the tube to sneak a peek at the latest search and rescue. But each time he did, it left him with a heavy heart.

Martin's folks were watching the news too. When the experts started saying that there was no hope for Sophia's survival and began mapping out where her body might be carried off by the currents, pondering the odds of retrieval, Martin's mom, Rachel, let out a sigh, "You never know what'll hit you first, tomorrow or an accident. I mean, such a young, kind-hearted pretty girl, how could she just..."

She choked up, unable to go on.

"It's all fate." Martin's dad, Gerald, was more pragmatic, glancing at the TV, "There's this fortune-telling thing. Some folks got a light fate; can't handle too much good luck or fortune, so they have to offload it somehow. Marrying Brandon might be what those fortune-tellers say, too much good fortune to bear, so."

Louis couldn't help but shoot him a look, "Sometimes, the old folks' objections ain't without reason. Such a shame, snuffed out so young."

Rachel looked at both of them, not chiming in.

Marian just walked in; sensing a heavy vibe in the living room, couldn't help but ask, "What's up? What happened?"

Martin threw her a cold glance; didn't reply. Ever since the last plagiarism fiasco, he just couldn't warm up to Marian.

The others were a bit better. Rachel nodded her chin towards the TV, "We're watching the news about Sophia, such a young loss. Heard she left behind a kid too; wonder what's gonna happen to the little one."

"Ain't there still the kid's dad?"

Marian blurted out without thinking, and after realizing it sounded too flippant, everyone turned to look at her.