The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia was momentarily stunned, instinctively turning to look at Brandon.

"Don't worry. I'm not trying to fight you for custody."

After saying that, Brandon had already pulled Theresa along to go back to their room to pick out clothes.

Sophia stood still, feeling a bit lost as well.

The Brandon she knew was back, cool and logical, always all about business. The Brandon from over two years ago seemed even

more distant and unapproachable, but it was the kind of unapproachable that cfrom extrcalm and reason. Now, he

seemed to be unapproachable with a hint of emotion.

The tenderness Brandon had shown recently was as fleeting as a flash in the pan.

Sophia got it. She chose this road herself, so she had no right to feel down, let alone to care or complain.

Brandon took Theresa for a bath, carefully dried her hair, and then read her a bedtstory, lulling her to sleep.

Although he was still a rookie dad, his natural knack for learning and the cramming he'd done recently meant he was pretty much

nailing the whole childcare thing.

Theresa loved his company too. Despite Sophia not being by her side all night, Theresa's mood wasn't affected at all; in fact, she

seemed especially happy, interacting well with Brandon.

There was this sense of happiness that seemed to say whether Sophia was there or not didn't matter.

Sophia felt like an outsider watching the father-daughter duo, feeling both comforted and sad at their smooth interaction.

She couldn't quite pin down her feelings.

On one hand, she was glad that Theresa loved Brandon and that he was willing to invest tand effort in her; their relationship

was as normal as any other father-daughter duo, perhaps even closer. She was happy to see their bond.

On the other hand, it seemed like she was becoming superfluous.

After putting Theresa to sleep, Brandon stepped out of the bedroom.

"I'm gonna crash in the stunext door tonight."

As he passed the living room, he told Sophia, who was sitting at the desk. His voice was flat, none of the warmth he had with

Theresa moments ago.

Sophia pressed her lips slightly and nodded gently, "Okay."

Brandon gave her a look, forced himself to look away, and left.

The door opened and closed, and Sophia remained seated, motionless, her expression blank.

Grace was worried and called out to her, "Sophia?"

Sophia snapped back to reality and gave Grace a smile, "I'm fine." She then got up to tidy the design drawings on the desk.

Grace noticed her packing up both the discarded sketches and the design drawings together, about to bind them with a stapler,

and couldn't help but remind her, "You've got the wrong drawings."

Sophia looked down and paused when she saw the drafts and design papers stacked together.

Grace couldn't help but look at her with concern, "Are you really okay? Should | call Mr. Crawley back?"

Just as she put down the cloth and was about to go fetch Brandon, Sophia cto her senses and stopped her urgently, "Don't."

Grace turned back, puzzled.

Sophia gave her a smile, "I'm really okay, Grace. You don't need to worry."

But how could Grace not worry? She'd been with Sophia for over two years and had never seen her like this. Before, Sophia was

busy but genuinely happy. Although she was always calm with little emotional fluctuation, her face was always serene and

peaceful, only showing worry when the child was sick. Usually, one couldn't see any trace of anxiety on her face, and she was

always proactive.

But since her return, Grace could clearly see that Sophia's serenity and peace had dissipated, and she had becmuch more

silent. Her unhappiness was visible to the naked eye.

"Sophia, | may not know what exactly is going on between you and Mr. Crawley, and I'm not well-educated enough to say anything

profound, but | always think that you should keep your distance from anything or anyone that makes you unhappy. A complete

family is important for the child, but you are important too. Your well-being is worth more than anything else."

Grace couldn't help but give Sophia sadvice. She understood all too well the pain and hurt that cwith staying in a

relationship for the sake of a child.

"I know." Sophia offered her a smile, expressing her gratitude, "Thank you, Grace."

Grace was a bit embarrassed by the thanks, "What are you thankingfor? We're past formalities."

Sophia smiled again, bowed her head to reorganize the design drawings in her hands, and fell silent.

In the stunext door

Brandon closed the door behind him, his cold facade dropping away, leaving only loneliness and desolation.

He turned and walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a can of ice-cold beer. With a flick of his finger, he popped

the tab open.

Brandon tilted his head back and chugged the entire can of beer until it was empty. His fingers suddenly clenched, and the once

intact aluminum can crumpled.

Without a second glance, he tossed the can with a perfect arc toward the trash can in the dining room - it landed right inside with a

thud.

Brandon stared emotionlessly at the beer can now lying in the trash, not moving an inch.

To Sophia, he was no different than the beer can he had just thrown away.

She didn't want him, not just superfluous, but simply unwanted - discarded like trash without a second thought or any hesitation.

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