The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Don caught a glimpse of Ivan flipping through that West district restaurant collection and couldn't help but take a second look.

"You're into this stuff?" he asked with a chuckle, "I thought you weren't big on eating out."

He and Ivan went way back and had a pretty good handle on each other's habits.

Ivan grew up with a silver spoon, always picky about where he laid his head and what he put on his plate—mostly home-cooked,

light, and healthy grub.

He never had much of an appetite for the fare at eateries outside, always complaining about the heavy grease and smoke, and he

definitely wasn't the type to keep tabs on the city's culinary scene.

"Just browsing."

Ivan responded with a smile, without lifting his gaze, seriously engrossed in the album's descriptions.

Don just grinned, figuring Ivan was killing tout of sheer boredom, and didn't take it to heart, refocusing on the design proposal

in his hands.

lvan's attention was still locked on the album too.

The first part of the album was all about the trendy regional eateries—pretty much the svibe, bustling and loud.

As Ivan flipped through, his brows began to furrow in annoyance, only to relax when he stumbled upon a restauranrt, his attention

captured by the style in the photos.

He remembered Sophia had a thing for Zenithan vibes.

She was the quiet type, always drawn to serene and peaceful places.

Definitely her cup of tea.

And his too.

Just as Don wrapped up, he looked up to find Ivan lost in thought staring at the album and couldn't resist poking fun.

"What's got you so spaced out?"

"Nothing much."

Ivan chuckled, shaking his head and closed the album, turning to Don, "All done? Got any thoughts on the proposal?"

"What could | possibly have to say? Everything you churn out is top-notch." Don laughed as he closed the proposal folder and

inquired, "By the way, have you shown it to Sophia?"

Ivan nodded, "Yeah, we tweaked it together. Just finished up at her place and printed it out for you."

Don was somewhat surprised, "She's in the mood for this kind of thing?"

He half-expected Sophia to be somewhat affected, but chuckling and shaking his head, it seemed Sophia wasn't just all talk about

not letting things get to her.

Her life and work really weren't phased.

Just like Brandon, she was tough as nails.

Don wondered if it was a tough streak in her nature or if, maybe, she just didn't care anymore.

He couldn't quite see through it all.

Ivan caught the changing expressions on Don's face and got what he was hinting at, but he wasn't a fan of the underlying

suggestion that Sophia should be affected by Brandon.

"You shouldn't meddle in this."

He said bluntly, as always straight to the point.

That had been on his mind during the meeting, but he'd held it back until now.

Don glanced at him reflexively.

Ivan's look was calm and serious, a seriousness about Sophia.

Don frowned slightly.

"Ivan," he stood up, his own expression turning serious, "You've always been sharper than me. You probably see what's really going

on with those two better than | do."

"So what?" Ivan's expression didn't waver at his words, "Sthings, you gotta try or you'll never see any results. You have to give

it a shot to know if it works or not. No matter the outcome, at least when you look back, you won't regret not moving forward."

His earnestness caught Don off guard.

He stared at him for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "True, but,"

He trailed off, "You've known her for so many years. Why haven't you made a move?"

He was genuinely curious; how could one hold back feelings for so many years?

"College is the prtfor romance, all that free tand passion," he added.

"Maybe too young, | guess." Ivan couldn't help but smile, a trace of nostalgia and self-mockery in his tone, "I liked her, sure, but

facing graduation and not even being in the scity anymore, | was more rational. Long-distance relationships seemed doomed,

and | didn't want to waste my ton something that wouldn't last, so | chose to focus on my career."

But he hadn't expected that after all those years, seeing her again would still make his heart skip a beat.

"What about those two years in Wye City?" Don probed, "You were both in a foreign land, in the scity and classes, with no one

else to lean on. That seemed like the perfect tto becmore than friends."

Ivan just shook his head, smiling without a word.

Indeed, it would have been the perfect time, and the thought had crossed his mind.

But deep-seated traditional values eventually held sway.

Sophia was divorced.

She had another man in her heart.

It was impossible to say he didn't care.

So he did his best to restrain himself, maintaining a distance from Sophia just like before.

However, as twent by and they got to know each other better, his feelings for her deepened.

It took two years of weighing his feelings against the fact that she was divorced to admit that he cared about her as a person far

more than her past.

Life is long, and you meet many people, but finding someone who truly moves you is rare.

After all these years, Sophia was the only one who had stirred his heart and left him with regrets.

So, he didn't want to miss out again.

Sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind.

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1