The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

A heavy blanket of despair once again smothered the pounding in Brandon's chest.

He had been right there, alone on the stage, standing out like a sore thumb. He'd even introduced himself—his nis Brandon. If

that was her, why didn't she recognize him?

Even if she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him, what about Theresa? How could she possibly abandon Theresa too?

If she was still alive, why hadn't she reached out to him or Theresa, or even to Susan Cooper?

Sophia was never cruel-hearted. Even in the throes of a marriage that brought her to her wits' end, she had parted from him with

calm, gentle dignity. Before the accident, they had had their share of minor spats, but they had made up. She had even written him

a letter seeking reconciliation. How could she be alive and not contact him or Theresa?

A barrage of "whys" and actions so out of character for Sophia crushed the fleeting hope that had surged in him just moments

before.

Was it just someone with a passing resemblance to her?

The distance from the stage to the school entrance wasn't particularly far, but not close either. From his angle, he could only catch

a general outline and shape, unable to make out facial features, especially since the person was wearing a mask. Could it have

been a case of mistaken identity?

Brandon's hands, pushing through the crowd, slowed and hesitated for a moment, the disappointment weighing so heavily that

even lifting his arm felt like too much. Yet the image of her side profile as she turned, that soft and gentle face etched into his very

bones, replayed in his mind—how could he possibly be mistaken?

Even with a mask on, even without a clear view of her features, he could never misidentify the quiet, gentle aura that he had only

ever seen in Sophia.

His hands, once limp, found new strength to push through the passersby blocking his path. With his eyes reddened, he continued

to scour the crowd for that familiar figure.

The onlookers at the celebration were taken aback by Brandon's frenzied actions. Most were just killing time, scrolling through their

phones, waiting for the performances to start, with little interest in the speeches happening on stage. But now they couldn't help

but turn their curiosity towards the striking man who had suddenly bolted from the stage and plunged into the crowd, desperately

looking for someone. Those with a penchant for gossip couldn't resist the urge to sneakily raise their phones to capture the .

Months had passed since the reward for information about Sophia's accident, and the buzz had long been overshadowed by the

relentless churn of social news. Few could still recall the nof the girl who had drowned months back, and though it might ring

a bell, curiosity quickly diverted their attention elsewhere.

President Poe arrived on the scene just in time, along with several school officials.

President Poe made sure to stop anyone trying to sneak photos, and soon made his way through the crowd to grab Brandon, who

was still frantically searching for Sophia.

"What's the matter?" President Poe asked with concern.

Brandon turned to him and said, "President Poe, | need to check the surveillance footage at the school entrance."

"Huh?"

President Poe seemed troubled—not because he was unwilling to show the footage, but because the timing was off. The school was

in the middle of its centennial celebration, reporters from TV stations were there filming live, and the audience was awaiting

Brandon's speech.

"Can you wait until after the celebration? I'll take you to see it then," President Poe whispered, trying topromise. "The crowd

and the reporters are still waiting for you. Can we head back now?"

Brandon knew he should understand President Poe's position. The centennial celebration was a big deal, a once-in-a-lifetevent,

and he shouldn't disrupt it. But emotionally, he couldn't wait another second.

"I'm sorry, President Poe, but | can't go back on stage right now," Brandon forced himself to stay calm, but the urgency in his

reddened eyes couldn't be hidden, "lI really need to see the surveillance footage right now."

After a moment's hesitation and a worried glance at Brandon, President Poe nodded in agreement. "Okay, go with the security

guard to the surveillance room. | need to get back to the stage."

Brandon could no longer return to give his speech; he had to explain the situation and ensure the celebration continued smoothly.

After instructing a nearby security guard, "Take Mr. Crawley to the surveillance room," President Poe turned and left.

"Sorry, President Poe. I'll make a video later to explain everything to everyone and ensure it doesn't cause any trouble for the

school."

After apologizing again, Brandon followed the security guard without looking back, heading straight to the surveillance room.

Ivan stood on the outskirts of the crowd, hisplexion slightly pale.

Watching Brandon walk away, he didn't hesitate to leave the crowd and head towards the main gate.

Brandon followed the security guard to the surveillance room.

There were cameras at the school gate.

But perhaps because they had been installed years ago, the old footage wasn't very clear. To maximize coverage, the cameras

were also mounted high, making the people in the footage appear blurred, as if pixelated.

Among these fuzzy images, Brandon caught sight of that soft and graceful profile turning away.

Brandon's heart skipped a beat once more.

Just like he saw from a distance, the figure of Sophia on the surveillance footage was only roughly visible, her silhouette and

posture discernible. She wasn’t facing the camera head-on, always walking with her head down or looking sideways at the stage,

showing her profile. Yet even so, only Sophia could possess such gentle and poised features, such a calm and serene aura.

That fleeting glance he caught of her on stage earlier, there's no way that was just in his head.

Brandon kept trying to convince himself, so much so that he didn’t have the patience to spend hours scouring through footage

frby frto find a clear shot of her face. His long fingers dragged the mouse, eager to see where she might have gone after

walking out of the school gates. But there was nothing.

The cameras only reached the school entrance, and once Sophia stepped into the crowd that was blocking the gate, she

disappeared without a trace.

Brandon just shut off the surveillance and left.

On his way, he dialed Kent.

"Get someone tob through all the street cams around the West district high school area, see where Sophia headed off to,

pronto!”

Kent was like, “..."

He was in the middle of syncing up with Don Dempsey when Brandon's request hit him out of the blue. He was caught off guard

and instinctively glanced at Don across from him.

Brandon's voice was cool and urgent, loud enough that Don overheard and immediately furrowed his brows.

Don had been out of town on business, and only just heard from Kent about the cops finding a body that might be Sophia's. He also

knew that they had just taken a DNA sample from Theresa topare, and he was already feeling down about it. Then, hearing

Brandon suddenly ordering a search of the school’s surveillance to track Sophia's whereabouts, his gut reaction was that Brandon

had lost it.