The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Brandon gently tapped her forehead with his, "Yeah, daddy's here too."

Theresa whispered even more softly, "Can | go first, just to check it out, see if it's pretty?"

"How about we go check it out after you wake up from your nap?" Brandon coaxed in a soft voice.

Theresa nodded right away, "Okay."

Brandon smiled, tapped her forehead again gently, and carried her through the door into the master bedroom.

This was Brandon's first tstepping into it.

The master bedroom had a completely different vibe compared to the one he had shared with Sophia in their previous marriage.

Brandon wasn't sure if Sophia had deliberately changed the style to avoid any old memories, or if it was simply because the house

was rented and she hadn't bothered to make any changes.

He remembered that she wasn't particularly fond of this kind of warm, creamy color schbefore.

Sophia noticed him sizing up the master bedroom but didn't say anything; just silently went about making the bed for Theresa.

Brandon laid Theresa down on the daybed. Though she was sleepy, the excitement still lingered, and as soon as she hit the bed,

she couldn't help but start assigning sleeping spots.

"Daddy, you'll sleep here," she said, pointing to the outermost side of the bed for Brandon, and then pointed to the middle,

"Mommy sleeps here."

And pointing to the innermost side, "I sleep here. Mommy holds me, you hold Mommy, like nesting dolls, from small to big."

Brandon chuckled and stroked her hair, "Okay."

"Can we go to sleep now?" he suggested.

Theresa obediently nodded, closed her eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Brandon tucked her in, and gazed at her sleeping face, looking as if he couldn't get enough, lingering without moving.

Sophia didn't approach to disturb them, and just quietly slipped out of the room.

As her figure vanished at the bedroom door, Brandon's gaze shifted from Theresa to the doorway, fell silent for a while, then stood

up and headed for the living room.

Sophia was sitting at her living room desk, lost in thought.

Her serene face bore an exceptionally peaceful expression, somewhat vacant, neither sad nor happy.

Brandon approached her, and only when he got close did Sophia snap back to reality and turn to look at him.

"I looked into yours and Theresa's information," Brandon said, picking up the conversation that Theresa had interrupted earlier.

Sophia looked at him, a touch of surprise in her eyes.

"The apartment you sold before, | bought it." Brandon mentioned as he looked at her, "So, | got all the details listed under that

address."

Sophia cracked a smile, "Must be nice to have money."

Brandon smiled too, "Yeah, itis."

"Someone from the hospital calledat noon to tellthe paternity test results." Brandon continued, his gaze steady on her, "|

was really angry. When you tied my tie this morning, | genuinely believed that you were starting to open up to me."

He shook his head, still with a half-smile, and looked at her, "When | kissed you, | felt your hand move, but | wanted to believe it

was just an unconscious reaction. At the hospital, | thought maybe I shouldn't go through with the test, to keep sillusions

unshattered."

But if he hadn't, she would never have let him know about Theresa. That test result was just a factual way of telling him that she

had never intended to be with him again.

No matter how much she expressed not wanting to be with him, it didn't hit as hard as the swapped paternity test sample did.

"I thought about waiting for you to ctowith the news about Theresa." Brandon said, glancing toward the balcony outside

the living room, "The first t| cover, | realized that Theresa might be my daughter. Those green plants on the balcony,

they're the ones you love to take care of."

He returned his gaze to her, "I deliberately brought up Theresa in conversation. You clearly knew what | was getting at, but you

played dumb, kept up appearances with me, all the while plotting your escape."

Sophia pressed her lips together, silent.

Brandon, too, stopped talking. He looked out towards the balcony for a while, and then turned back to her, "I'm thinking of moving

to the apartment downstairs for now. If you agree later on, I'd still like us to move back to the place I've been staying. That

apartment is a lot bigger and has a better environment, or we could look for another larger place."

Sophia's lips were pressed slightly and then she quietly asked him, "Do | still have the right to say 'no' now?"

Brandon's lips mirrored hers, his gaze locked on her, "As long as it's not about leaving, you can voice any opinion."

"I'd like to stay here." Sophia said softly, "No one will bother us, and Theresa likes it here."

"Alright," Brandon agreed.

"Thank you," Sophia said with a grateful smile.

Brandon watched her, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Sophia turned her head slightly away and stood up.

"I'll go rest for a bit then." she said softly, "Letknow once you're settled."

A surge of defiance flashed in Brandon's eyes, and before he could even process it, his hand shot out, grabbing her arm.

Sophia didn't struggle. Suddenly, Brandon pulled with force, and Sophia was yanked into his embrace.

Brandon looked down at her. Sophia averted her gaze from his.

He leaned in to kiss her, but Sophia turned her head away. Brandon's lips stopped less than an inch from hers.

In the end, he did nothing.

"I'll go handle the moving stuff," he said in a husky voice.

"Okay," Sophia responded softly.

Brandon released her and walked away.

Brandon handled the moving swiftly. He called a moving company to take away the used big items like beds, mattresses, sofas,

and chairs; while considering the formaldehyde issue with new furniture, he arranged for replacements from his current residence.

He also got a cleaning service to tidy up and disinfect the place, hired a designer to help set up the space, packed sof his

clothes to bring over, and had Kent reach out to the neighbors across the hall to discuss buying their apartment.

He offered a price well above market rate - a sum that would easily cover a better-located, larger apartment in a more desirable

school district. The neighbors, after verifying the legitimacy, quickly agreed.

Brandon promptly made the deposit. He also purchased the small two-bedroom office space that Sophia had been renting.

In one building with two elevators and three units per floor, Kent, with his super-efficient working style, snapped up the remaining

two apartments that afternoon, turning the whole floor into Brandon's property.

Cevening, Theresa finally got her wish to check out their new apartment.

Though it was a temporary setup, many hands made light work. Plus, with a designer riding shotgun, the place was decked out

fresh and cozy.

But, since they were moving on the fly from their old digs, they only brought over two beds - one for the master bedroom and

another for the spare room, making it easy for Grace to catch sZ's with Theresa at noon.

When Sophia noticed there were only two beds, her gaze paused for a beat before she turned to look at Brandon.

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1