The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

"He asked about how we met." Cindy brought it up, still looking totally puzzled. "No clue why he'd be into that."

Sophia frowned. "So what did you tell him?"

"l just went with your story, of course. Said we met over a meal, your phone died, and | just casually picked up the tab for you."

"And what did Mr. Crawley say?"

"He grilledabout when and where | picked up the tab, even wanted to see proof of payment," Cindy said, still feeling weak at

the knees. "Mr. Crawley was seriously intimidating then, like he was interrogating a criminal, seemed like he didn't buy my story at

all."

"He can be pretty intense sometimes," Sophia chuckled, glancing at him. "Then what happened?"

"I told him I paid in cash."

"He didn't buy that, did he?"

Sophia could just picture Brandon's expressionless face upon hearing that response.

"Exactly." Cindy nodded earnestly. "He was like, 'That's a bit too convenient,’ and gavethis terrifying look. | just couldn't stand

it and, | couldnt help it, | burst into tears."

Sophia thought it was an unexpected turn of events.

Cindy felt a bit embarrassed. "l was seriously under a lot of pressure, couldn't bother with anything else. And then Mr. Crawley

seemed kind of speechless with me, didn't push further, toldto go home."

Sophia couldn't quite picture Brandon being at a loss for words.

She had rarely cried in front of Brandon, the only twas during a dinner with Don's team, when she found out Brandon wanted

to leave, and he suddenly demanded fiercely if she had really cut ties completely, and pressed her to tell the truth about whether

the child was still there. In that moment, he shattered all her defenses.

That meltdown was more about her disgust and despair over not being able to cut ties completely herself.

In the abortion clinic two years ago, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to give up the child.

Her logic told her that to sever ties with Brandon completely, the child couldn't stay.

But when she actually lay on the operating table, she was inconsolable with tears.

It wasn't about parting ways with Brandon, it was about not giving up on her child.

Even though she was too young to feel her heartbeat, just the thought of her coming to find Sophia, choosing her to be her

mother, and Sophia cold-heartedly rejecting her, made her cry uncontrollably.

She couldn't bear not to have her.

She was the only person in her life who had chosen her with such certainty, the only blood relative she had.

Sophia had always longed for a family, but she had a hwithout a home, never truly having a family of her own.

That child represented her most recent chance at having her own family, perhaps the only chance.

She was also the only one who chose her not because she resembled someone else, but simply because she wanted her to be her

mother.

Sophia had the financial means to raise her independently, and she was mentally prepared to do it alone. She had everything

ready, yet she still had to give up on her child because she didn't want to have any ties with the father, Sophia thought of the little

one being abandoned, reaching out with those round, helpless, scared eyes, wanting her to hold her hand, while she cruelly

retreated step by step, refusing to grasp it, crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath.

The doctors and nurses, seeing her so distraught, didn't dare to proceed with the surgery and eventually wheeled her out of the

operating room.

From the moment she was wheeled out of the surgery room, Sophia knew that unless the child didn't want her, she could never

give her up, no matter what.

Keeping the child and not entangling with Brandon further, leaving the father and keeping the child seemed the best way to not

disturb each other.

Brandon would never know about the child, and the child's existence wouldn't disturb Brandon's family and life.

These past two years, she'd done well, despite it being hard, she was happy and content.

She had never regretted her decision that day at the hospital.

Sophia thought life would continue to go on smoothly just like that.

But unexpectedly, she ran into Brandon again.

Out of the blue, over and over.

Especially in such encounters, when Brandon demanded so fiercely whether she had really cut ties, his piercing questions made

her feel utterly disheveled, exposing all her lies.

She had not managed to cut ties with Brandon as cleanly as she had claimed.

This fact disgusted her, and her emotions just collapsed, completely uncontrollable.

That was the only tshe had cried in front of Brandon.

But at that time, Brandon's gaze remained as steely as ever in the face of her breakdown.

Sophia couldn't imagine what Brandon's speechless expression looked like when Cindy cried.

She had never seen him at a loss for words.

Nor could Cindy describe it.

"Anyways, it was just like, 'Is this chick for real?" kind of speechless," Cindy struggled to describe it but couldn't. "In the end, maybe

he couldn't stand a woman crying in front of him, so he letgo."

To Cindy, it seemed like Brandon had a real distaste for women crying.

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