The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 57

Sophia gave a slight nod, "Mhm."

Then she looked up at him, "I'm really sorry."

She meant it, was genuinely apologizing. She hadn't thought it through at the time. She was just fixated on the fact that Brandon was on the hunt for Yolanda, and they had finally gotten a lead. It'd be a shame to let that slip away.

She'd known Brandon for years and sort of got the gist of his personality. He might not have the guts to ask those question straight up. So, she figured, why not give him a little nudge in the right direction?

But Brandon's expression didn't soften one bit at her apology.

He just looked at her evenly, "You seem pretty keen on me finding Yolanda, huh?"

Sophia was puzzled, "Isn't that what you've been wanting and doing all along?"

Brandon shot her a look and clammed up.

The more puzzled and sincere she looked, the more he felt like he had a lump in his throat.

How indifferent must she be to be so gung-ho about helping him find another woman?

"Let's drop that subject."

In the end, Brandon closed the topic with that single line.

Sophia obediently nodded, "Okay."

She didn't bring up anything about Marian and Yolanda again, and when they got back to the hotel, she headed straight to her bedroom.

Brandon watched the door close, stared at it for a good while, trying to squash the emotions bubbling up inside him, and then he finally looked away and went to his own room.

He knew he should be thrilled about getting news of Yolanda.

Every single question Sophia had asked earlier was a roundabout way of helping him confirm whether Marian was Yolanda.

The bracelet he had given her as a child that she still wore, the matching ages, every piece of her story seemed to fit Yolanda perfectly.

The person he had felt guilty about for over a decade was right there in front of him. He should be over the moon.

But he felt no joy or excitement. Every answer from Marian felt like a heavy stone thrown at his chest, weighing him down.

The more Marian's story matched Yolanda's, the less likely it seemed that Sophia could be Yolanda.

Brandon even started to second-guess himself, wondering if calling Martin over was a mistake.

Once Martin arrived, whether Marian was Yolanda could be confirmed with a paternity test report.

Once confirmed, there'd be no overturning it or fooling oneself.

For the first time, Brandon felt the urge to backpedal on finding out Yolanda's true identity.

"What will you do if I am her? And what if I'm not?"

Sophia's earlier retort echoed in his ears, and Brandon frowned. He'd never really pondered these questions that now demanded to be dealt with head-on.

What would he do if Sophia wasn't Yolanda?

What could he do?

He feared that by then, it wouldn't be up to him to decide what to do, but that Sophia would have already made her choice.

Suddenly, Brandon was scared to take that gamble.

Especially not now, when things between him and Sophia were still up in the air, and the kid's destiny was unknown.

Eventually, Brandon dialed Martin back.

"Don't come to Wye City tomorrow. It might've just been a mix-up on my part," he said, his voice calm and composed, as he pressed the phone to his ear.