The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia was momentarily stunned, then looked at the elderly person with concern.

The old lady's smile was still graceful and kind, tears glistening in her eyes. She affectionately took Sophia's hand, sizing her up

and down while incessantly muttering "Pretty good." If she hadn't mistaken Sophia for someone else, she didn't seem at all like she

was ill.

"Madam," Sophia softened her voice, gently asking, "Did you cout here by yourself?"

A look of confusion crossed the old lady's face.

She looked around blankly, then back at Sophia, and asked, "Where is this?"

"We're at the Children's Park," Sophia said softly.

The old lady looked befuddled. "Children's Park? Where's that? Nonsense, this is clearly the textile factory."

She looked around again as if searching for something, but her grip on Sophia's hand never loosened. She kept on reminding

Sophia, "Yoli, hold on tight to my hand, don't get lost, okay?"

While advising, she began to pull Sophia along.

Sophia guessed that the old lady might really have Alzheimer's and didn't dare let her wander off alone. As she let herself be

pulled, she took out her phone and comforted the lady, "Alright, madam. Let's wait here for a bit. I'll call your family and have

them cpick you up, okay?"

The old lady waved her hands dismissively, "No need, no need, | know the way home. Con, Yoli, chwith me. You

haven't seen us in so long, you must have given your grandpa and | quite the scare."

As she spoke, she tugged Sophia forward.

Ahead was a dead end with no exit, thick with trees and featuring an abandoned house and railway tracks, rarely visited by

anyone.

Sophia wasn't sure if the old lady's memories were stuck in her youth or if she was just rambling. It was late, and the area was

deserted. She didn't dare let the old lady drag her deeper into the woods, nor did she dare leave her alone.

While soothing the old lady, Sophia dialed the number she found on the sleeve of her arm.

The call went through, but nobody answered.

Sophia was puzzled and tried again, still no answer.

Reluctantly, Sophia turned to the old lady and pointed towards the park entrance where there were lights. "Madam, how about we

head over there first?"

She remembered there was a police station near the park entrance.

The old lady glanced in the direction Sophia pointed and nodded, "Okay, okay."

She turned and headed towards the park entrance, still clutching Sophia's hand as if afraid she'd run away.

Though she appeared frail, her grip was strong.

Sophia's arm hurt from her tight grasp, and when she tried to pull away, the old lady, as if frightened, gripped her even tighter,

gently reassuring her, "Yoli, hold on tight, don't get lost again."

Her expression was one of panic and fear.

The fear in her eyes made Sophia's heart skip a beat, and her attempt to retract her hand relaxed, letting the old lady hold it.

The tension on the old lady's face eased somewhat as she contentedly held Sophia's hand.

Sophia took her to the police station at the entrance, and explained the situation to the officer on duty.

The officer saw the contact details on the old lady's arm and dialed the number. To their surprise, the call was answered

immediately.

After a brief explanation of the situation and asking them to cquickly, the officer hung up and turned to Sophia, "We've

informed her family, and they'll be here soon. Thanks for your help."

"No problem, happy to help," Sophia replied with a polite smile.

She was still thinking about Theresa, who was playing with Grace, worried she might feel uneasy not seeing her mother around, so

she turned back to the old lady and softly said, "Madam, the officer just got in touch with your family, and they will be here to pick

you up in a bit. Can you wait here for a while, okay?"

As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand away, but the old lady suddenly clung on tightly, "You can't go, if you leave, | won't be able

to find you again."

The officer on duty thought she was afraid of being left behind and quickly reassured her with a smile, "Ma'am, this is a police

station, rest assured, we will wait with you until your family arrives to ensure your safety."

But the old lady seemed not to hear him, just smiling at him and gratefully saying, "Thank you, officer, for helpingfind my

granddaughter, thank you so much."

Sophia was a bit taken aback.

The old lady had completely sunk into her memories, holding onto Sophia's hand, and began to ramble to the officer, "She got lost

when she was very little, couldn't be found anywhere, we searched for so long, must have suffered a lot."

As she spoke, she began to choke up and started wiping away her tears.

The officer quickly handed her a tissue.

While dabbing her eyes, the old lady looked at Sophia with a satisfied expression, continuously saying, "It's good that you're back,

good that you're back."

As she spoke, her grip on Sophia's hand tightened even more.

The officer looked at Sophia with confusion.

Sophia felt a bit awkward. "She seems to have mistakenfor someone she knows."

The officer nodded in understanding, "Seniors with Alzheimers sometimes really do get stuck in a past memory and can't get out of

it."

Seeing the old lady's dependency on Sophia, he couldn't help but say, "Are you in a hurry? If not, maybe you could stay with her

here for a bit until her family arrives."

Sophia was about to mention her daughter waiting for her when her phone rang.

She looked and saw it was a video call from Grace.

Sophia figured Theresa must have finished playing and couldn't find her, getting anxious.

Apologizing to the officer and the old lady, she said, "Sorry, | need to take this call," then turned away to answer the phone.

"Mom, where did you go?"

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