The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Theresa's got this thick hair all neatly tied up into twin braids, coiled up on either side of her head with a hairband, and topped with

soft, straight bangs—a total fairy princess 'do.

Brandon was staring at her hair, kinda spaced out, then slowly shifted his gaze back to Theresa.

The kiddo was still buzzing, counting her stuffed toy haul for the evening, fingers ticking them off one by one.

Maybe Brandon's stare was a bit too intense 'cause she sensed something, turned her head with a puzzled look, and caught his

eye.

Seeing him so zoned out, she didn't quite get the grown-up vibe and just went, "Sir?"

Brandon cracked a smile, glanced over at her prize pile on the chair, and asked softly, "Tto head back, Theresa. Okay?"

Remembering their half-hour pact from earlier, she nodded, "Mhm," and scooted over to grab her loot.

She was a little one, so she could only hug a couple of the tinier ones.

She frowned at the remaining toys, didn't even think to ask Grace for help, and just looked up at Brandon with those big, round

eyes, "Can you helpget these back to my place?"

He gave her a look, then nodded gently, "Sure."

Grace, who'd been killing ton her phone, heard them and quickly put it away, stepping in, "No need, | will carry them for you."

As she moved to start collecting them, Brandon stood up, "I've got this."

He picked up the biggest one, then bent down and scooped Theresa into his other arm.

With one arm around a toy and the other around Brandon, Theresa was over the moon knowing he'd agree to go to her house.

"My house is sooo big, really big," she said, drawing a huge circle in the air to show him.

In her tiny world, she didn't quite grasp 'big,' but to her, this house was way bigger than the one they had in Wye City, so it was

huge in her eyes.

Brandon couldn't help but laugh at her exaggerated little gesture, "Oh yeah?"

Taking his doubt seriously, she nodded firmly, "Yep."

Seeing Brandon carrying her into the complex, she didn't forget to give him directions, "This way, that way."

Brandon wasn't a frequent visitor here, but he knew every turn, every path like the back of his hand.

His eyes grew darker and more enigmatic as they got closer to building 3.

Sophia lived in building 3 too.

Eventually, Brandon stopped at the entrance to building 3, as Theresa had directed.

"Here, go in, take the elevator, and we're at my place," she continued to lead Brandon inside.

He glanced at her again.Theresa was still buzzing with excitement, leaning towards home.

When Brandon walked to the elevator entrance with her in his arms, she bent over and pressed the elevator button.

The elevator door opened, Brandon walked in with her in his arms, and Grace followed.

Brandon watched her hand press the 18th floor and turned to look at Theresa.

Theresa was also staring at the elevator button version and did not have any objection to the number pressed by Grace.

The elevator soon stopped on the 18th floor.

Probably excited to invite Brandon to her house, Theresa pointed at her door familiarly as soon as she got out of the elevator and

said,

"Look, my home."

Brandon glanced at her home. It was a completely different apartment type from Sophia's 15th floor.

He turned to look at Theresa, who was still caught in the excitement of Brandon's visit to her house. His little body could not wait

to lean in the direction of hand did not forget to greet him, "I got loads and loads of toys, I'll show you in a bit."

Brandon offered her a small smile, "Alright."

He carried her towards her front door.

The peephole had a camera, blinking with a faint blue light.

Brandon glanced at the peephole but didn't look away.

Sophia was monitoring her phone, and seeing Brandon watch the camera reminded her of that the bumped into her and

Theresa in Skyrim City. He'd investigated the cameras to no avail, and after returning from Skyrim City, he went straight to her

place, just like now, standing in front of the camera, motionless.

But his gaze back then was sharp and piercing, like it was laced with ice chips.

This time, his eyes were much calmer, yet still unfathomable and cool, like the depths of the sea.

Sophia couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

She pursed her lips slightly and turned off her phone screen in silence.

Theresa, seeing Brandon fixated on the camera, didn't get what it was about, gave it a curious glance, and turned to rush Grace,

"Grace, open up."

"Coming, coming, you're so impatient," Grace chuckled, moving forward and playfully tweaking the little one's nose.

The girl blushed, giggled shyly at Grace's tease, and snuggled up to Brandon.

Her cute act got a comforting pat on the shoulder from Brandon.

Grace pulled out her keys and unlocked the door.

The door swung open to reveal a clean and tidy entryway and living room. Despite having a kid around, the place was spotless,

shoes neatly stored in the cabinet, no clutter on the coffee table, and a pristine couch.

Brandon scanned the living room. It was spacious and orderly, lived-in but uncluttered, not giving away any personal habits.

The coffee table had been transformed into a simple play area for kids, with a desk nearby, also clear of any mess.

Seeing Brandon checking out the room, Grace explained with a smile, "Theresa's too young, we worry she'd stuff things into her

mouth, so we're careful not to leave stuff lying around."

Brandon nodded, and casually looked towards the bedrooms.

In the three-bedroom apartment, two doors were closed tight, only one—the children's room—was open.

The living room led to a balcony.

The balcony's been sealed off and split into a chill zone and a drying area by sserious drapes.

In the chill zone, there was a solo hanging chair, a tiny bookshelf, and a little coffee table. The edges were decked out with all sorts

of potted plants.

Brandon's gaze lingered on the plant that had made its way up the railing, then slowly drifted to the nearby dwarf gardenia, staring

at the bloomed white petals for a good while without moving.

Theresa caught Brandon eyeballing the flowers on the balcony and couldn't help but point at the pots and say, "They're my mom's

handiwork."

Brandon looked at her, "Where's your mom, Theresa?"

"She took grandma home," Theresa said, trying her best to echo Sophia's words, "Old lady won't cback."

"Old lady?" Brandon furrowed his brows, looking at her.

Theresa nodded with certainty, "Yeah, old lady."

"And where's your dad, Theresa?" Brandon asked softly.

Theresa seemed a bit lost, then shook her head, "Don't know."

Brandon watched her puzzled face and said nothing, just reached out and tenderly ruffled her hair.

Theresa couldn't make heads or tails of Brandon's gesture, her big eyes just gazed at him, bewildered.

Grace, still mindful that Theresa needed to hit the hay, stepped forward to remind her, "Theresa, it's bedtime."

Theresa let out an "Oh," unwillingly.

"I haven't shown him my toys yet."

She murmured softly, already squirming to get down from Brandon's arms.

Brandon set her down.

"I'll go get my toys," Theresa said, and then ran off towards her room.

Grace quickly followed her.

Brandon stood still, his gaze drifting from the firmly shut shoe cabin the entryway, to the dining room, then to the barren office

desk in the living room, and finally settling back on the plant on the balcony, lingering there.

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