The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Brandon ducked out of the office before quitting time.

The moment the door swung open, there was Theresa, playing solo on the play mat.

The setting sun streamed through the balcony, casting a pale yellow light in the chilly living room, somehow carrying a tinge of

lonely desolation.

Brandon couldn't help but gaze at Theresa, lost in thought, while the image of Sophia leaving with her suitcase haunted his mind.

He slightly turned his head, his Adam's apple bobbing intensely in the dying light of the sun.

Grace, busy with her tasks, looked up to see him and greeted him, "Mr. Crawley, you're back."

Hearing the voice, Theresa, engrossed in her toys, looked up and, spotting Brandon hfrom work, was over the moon. She

dropped her toys and scampered over to him with a pitter-patter of little feet.

Brandon squatted down and opened his arms to catch the little tornado that was Theresa.

"Did Mommy chtoday?" he asked, smoothing her tousled hair with a soft voice.

"Mhm," Theresa nodded, "She said she had to go on a business trip."

"And did she mention when she would be back?" Brandon inquired.

Theresa pouted and shook her head, looking a bit downcast but soon perked up again, "But Mommy said she'll callwhenever

she gets a chance."

"Hmm," Brandon hummed in response, gently stroking her hair, falling silent.

That evening, Brandon, as usual, took Theresa for dinner, went for a walk with her, but perhaps because Sophia wasn't there, these

simple, cozy routines felt oddly hollow and tasteless.

Theresa, still young, didn't grasp the sting of parting too deeply and threw herself wholeheartedly into the fun at the playground.

But Brandon was somewhat distracted.

He even felt tdragging on unbearably.

Brandon didn't know how Sophia felt during the two years she spent alone with the child, but since she had chosen to go solo, it

must have been a happy choice for her.

The unhappy one was him.

The only one affected by this marriage was him.

Confusion and restlessness raged within him like a caged beast on a rampage.

The turmoil was so intense it nearly turned his love into hate.

He hated her cold heart, and he hated that they had ever met.

He could vaguely understand what Sophia had once said. how good it would have been if they had never met.

When they got hthat night, Brandon bathed Theresa and coaxed her into bed.

Sophia hadn't called at all.

Theresa, who usually fell asleep early, was reluctant to do so, insisting on waiting for her mom's call.

"Your mommy might be busy with work and hasn't had a chance to call you yet," Brandon coaxed softly, "How about you go to

sleep first, and when she is done, she'll call you, okay?"

Theresa, always a well-behaved child, nodded obediently at her dad's explanation, closed her eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Brandon watched Theresa's peaceful sleeping face for a while before his gaze shifted to the silent phone beside him.

The phone lay still, without a peep.

He snatched it up and dialed Sophia's number without expression.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy."

He hadn't expected the call to be greeted by the chilly politeness of a customer service message.

Brandon hung up abruptly and headed towards the study.

In the hotel.

Sophia was on the phone with Grace, checking on Theresa.

"Theresa's already asleep," Grace reported dutifully about Theresa's day, "Mr. Crawley chearlier tonight, had dinner with

her, and then took her to the park. He just got her to sleep."

"Did she fuss at all today?" Sophia asked softly.

"No, she's been good," Grace replied, "Why are you calling so late?"

"I've been swamped, just got a break."

"Do you wantto wake Theresa up?" Grace offered.

"No, let her sleep," Sophia stopped her, "I'll call her first thing tomorrow morning."

Grace nodded, "Alright then, you get srest, don't wear yourself out."

"Yeah, you too."

After hanging up, Sophia noticed she had missed a call alert on her phone from Brandon.

She stared at the number for a moment before deciding to send Brandon a message. [Is something the matter?]

[No, it's fine.]

Brandon replied quickly, his simple words betraying no emotion.

Sophia wasn't sure how to respond and sent back a simple "Okay."

Brandon didn't reply after that.

The next day, it wasn't until after nine that Sophia found tto video call Theresa.

Theresa was still excited to see her, chattering away with a barrage of questions.

Kids in their language explosion phase are all curious bunnies, one question leading to a thousand more.

"Are you and Daddy having fun at home, Theresa?" Sophia asked during a brief pause while Theresa searched for her next

question.

Theresa nodded vigorously. "Yeah, fun."

Then, counting on her fingers, she detailed all the ways Brandon had been good to her, each account precise and thorough.

On the good dad score, Brandon was flawless.

Theresa was also well-adjusted to life with just Brandon's company.

Sophia felt a bit more at ease.

Theresa was doing fine without her, which meant she could focus more energy and ton dealing with issues on her end.

The new exploration team cover on the third day, and the survey results were clear.

Tomas quickly organized another meeting with the design and construction teams, scheduled for late afternoon as dusk

approached, in the temporary meeting room on the construction site, just as the results cin from the exploration team.

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