The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia hugged her tightly with a heart full of tenderness, gently stroking her shoulders and back, whispering soothing words into

her ear.

"Everything's okay, sweetie, I'm here."

The soft comfort gradually calmed Theresa down.

The sobbing in her arms also slowly stopped.

But Theresa didn't get up, still cuddling Sophia like a little koala, reluctant to let go.

Sophia didn't rush her, just held her quietly, letting her cling on.

After a while, Theresa finally mustered the strength to lift her head from Sophia's embrace, her eyes and nose still a bit red, her

little mouth pouting slightly in a sulk, but the tears had stopped.

Sophia pulled out a tissue and gently wiped away the remaining tears from Theresa's eyes before softly asking her, "Did something

bum you out, Theresa?"

Theresa paused for a moment, as if digesting the words "bum you out," then nodded slightly. "Mhm."

"What's got you down?" Sophia inquired.

Theresa looked at her with a bit of a lost expression, unable to put her feelings into words.

Sophia encouraged her with a patient look, not hurrying her.

Theresa's language skills had developed super early.

She, along with Susan and Grace, had always consciously trained and nurtured her ability to speak, teaching her patiently about

the world and guiding her to express herself.

Both Sophia and Brandon were the scholarly type, with sharp memories, and it seemed Theresa had inherited their smarts,

showing signs of outshining them with her language and memory skills, even at her tender age.

But when it cto expressing complex emotions, Theresa was obviously still a rookie.

She pondered for a while, then said with a quivering lip, "Unkie."

Sophia's heart skipped a beat, softly asking her, "Did you see the handsuncle just now?"

Theresa nodded. "Mhm."

Sophia continued, "Did you play with the handsuncle?"

Theresa still nodding. "Mhm, played."

"Where did you and the handsuncle go to play?"

Theresa thought for a moment, turned around, and pointed towards the high-rise buildings beyond the balcony. "Tall, building."

Sophia glanced at the skyscraper Theresa pointed to, her brow furrowing slightly, and she couldn't help but glance at Grace.

Grace filled in the details for Theresa. "Mr. Crawley took her to his company, that the Starlight Group place."

Sophia fell silent.

Seeing Sophia's frown, Grace quickly explained.

"This morning, she was playing in the mall next door, and Mr. Crawley just happened to drive by. Theresa saw him and zoomed

down the slide, running towards Mr. Crawley. He's a nice guy, got out of the car to give her a hug. He was going to leave, but

Theresa seemed really attached, so Mr. Crawley ended up taking her to his company."

Sophia's eyes shifted back to Theresa and she softly asked, "Did you go to the office with him?"

She emphasized the word "office."

Theresa liked to play in her studio, and Sophia always taught her, "This is an office, it's for working," so although Theresa didn't

know what a company was, she was familiar with the concept of an office and nodded. "Mhm."

"Did you have fun in his office?"

Theresa nodded earnestly. "Mhm."

Suddenly remembering something, Theresa quickly slid off Sophia's lap and ran to the couch to grab a bottle from her bag.

"Unkie, milk," said Theresa.

Sophia, somewhat surprised, asked, "Did he make milk for you to drink?"

Theresa nodded seriously.

"Did you like it?"

Again, Theresa seriously nodded.

"Why were you crying just now? Did you miss the handsuncle?" Sophia probed.

Theresa hesitated, then shook her head.

"Then why the tears?"

"His dad..." Theresa's little mouth puckered up again.

Sophia's heart leapt, and she couldn't help but look at Theresa. "Did you run into his dad?"

Theresa nodded sulkily. "Mhm. Pretty auntie, tookout, uncle, disappeared, then | just wanted, mommy."

Grace explained the situation at that time.

"Theresa was fine when Mr. Crawley took her back to his office, but then his father showed up. He didn't seem to like Theresa

much; the look he gave her probably scared her. She started to feel uneasy. Afterward, Mr. Crawley had a pretty girl take Theresa

out first, and the little one has been down ever since, insisting on going home."

Sophia could imagine the scene of Daniel's appearance, and she felt a pang of sympathy as she stroked Theresa's head.

But she knew that wasn't the main reason Theresa was crying.

She embraced her and asked softly, "You were upset when Auntie took you out of Unkie 's office, weren't you?"

Theresa's eyes, which had just cleared up, began to look like they were about to turn red again.

She nodded her head sadly. "Mhm."

Sophia hugged her tighter, stroking her head, then looked into her eyes and asked softly, "Do you feel like he didn't want you

anymore?"

Theresa hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Sophia stroked her hair and continued gently, "When | take you to class, and you need to talk to the teacher, does that mean you

don't wantanymore?"

Theresa quickly shook her head.

"So, you see." Sophia hugged her close, bending down to meet her gaze, and said earnestly and slowly,

"Unkie's dad needed to talk to him, and he had to answer, so he couldn't look after you for a moment. It's just like when you have

to answer the teacher and can't pay attention tofor a moment. But you still want me, right? It's the swith Uncle Brandon,

he didn't stop wanting you, get it?"

Theresa's eyes were wide open, still a bit dazed, but it seemed like she got the gist. The hurt from before was slowly fading away.

She gave a little nod, "Mhm."

Then she seemed a bit sheepish, turned around, buried her face in Sophia's neck, and hugged her tight.

Sophia hugged her back, letting her be all clingy, feeling her heart packed to the brim with Theresa's adorable antics.

But amidst this contentment, a complex mix of feelings started bubbling up deep inside - one moment it was Theresa's delighted

surprise at seeing Brandon, the next it was her disappointment when Brandon had someone take her away, and then her

uneasiness when she saw Daniel and the disdainful look he had in his eyes. These jumbled scenes weighed heavily on her heart.

Theresa must have been beat from all the fun and the crying, as she snuggled into Sophia's embrace and eventually drifted off to

sleep.

Sophia carried her back to the bedroom, tucked her into bed, made sure she was all cozy under the covers, and then tiptoed out,

noticing Grace was up to something. After a moment's thought, she couldn't help but ask Grace.

"Grace, what's your take on Brandon and Theresa, huh?"

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1