The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia stared at him, dumbfounded.

Under the streetlight, Brandon's handsface was calm and serious.

She was reminded of her 17th birthday night.

Brandon was just like now, serene yet earnest, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

He was never one for sweet nothings, but when he crouched in front of her and asked softly, "What's wrong?" she was a goner for

his tenderness.

But the gentle boy who had appeared in her tof loneliness never showed up in their marriage.

During their two-year marriage, he never reassured her like he did at seventeen, never said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here," nor did he

utter, "I don't want to let go," like now. All they had was rationality.

The sting in her nose that she had suppressed earlier was threatening to resurface. For a moment, the tender man from her 17th

birthday seemed to return, but such tenderness was fleeting. The two years of marriage had left deep marks. She had already

fallen hard for his gentleness once, and Sophia dared not tumble a second time.

She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears that still threatened to fall as she looked into his eyes.

"Brandon, thank you," she said softly, truly grateful for the reminder of the good times he had once brought her.

Brandon saw the slight smile on her lips and responded with a faint one of his own.

"No problem," he said, without pressing her further.

He leaned in and suddenly wrapped his arms around her gently.

Sophia stiffened instinctively.

Brandon held her softly and whispered in her ear, "Get srest."

Then he let go of her gently.

Sophia didn't quite catch his meaning and nodded stiffly, "You too, get srest."

She then pushed open the car door, stepped out, and waved goodbye to him, "You can go back, stay safe on the road."

"Sure."

Brandon nodded, watched her enter the complex, then started the car.

After a few steps, Sophia stopped.

She turned her head, glancing towards the pharmacy at the entrance of the complex.

The pharmacy was still open.

Sophia turned and walked towards it.

Brandon saw her returning in the rearview mirror.

He turned to look outside the car window, noticed the lit pharmacy sign, then his gaze paused before returning to Sophia in the

mirror.

They hadn't taken precautions just before.

Caught up in the moment, they threw caution to the wind.

He didn't have condoms at his house either.

Sophia entered the pharmacy.

Brandon sat in silence for a while before parking the car by the road.

As soon as Sophia walked in, the clerk approached her.

"Hi, what can | get for you?"

"Do you have emergency contraception?" Sophia glanced at the shelves and asked.

"Yes, which brand would you like?" the clerk asked, already heading towards the shelf.

Sophia had never bought emergency contraception before. When she was with Brandon, he always took precautions, so she had

no experience with this.

"Just something effective," Sophia replied.

"Alright."

The clerk handed her a popular brand of contraception, rang it up, and handed it to her.

Sophia was about to reach out when a hand from behind took the contraception pills from the clerk.

Confused, Sophia turned around and was stunned to see Brandon.

Brandon was looking down at the packaging with a calm expression.

When he noticed her looking, he turned to her, his eyes steady, showing no sign of anger or any other emotion.

Sophia looked down slightly, "I'm not in my safe period."

"If you get pregnant, can't we keep it?" Brandon asked softly, already knowing the answer was no, but he couldn't help asking.

Sophia shook her head gently, "It's not the right time."

After she spoke, Brandon gave her a sharp look, but quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.

He nodded slightly, didn't say anything else, pulled out his phone, scanned a code, then looked at her.

"Let's go, I'll drive you back."

Sophia hesitated, then nodded.

Brandon escorted her to the elevator but didn't seem to want to give her the medicine or leave.

Sophia turned to him, "This is fine, | can go up myself."

Brandon looked at her, "Lettake you to the door."

Sophia hesitated again, then nodded lightly and entered the elevator.

Brandon followed her into the elevator.

They quickly arrived at the floor of her small two-bedroom rental.

Sophia took out her phone to unlock the door.

She turned on the lights inside.

Brandon glanced around the empty space, which felt much more lived-in compared to his last visit.

His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, but he said nothing.

Sophia reached out for the medicine, "Give it to me."

Brandon looked at her, hesitated, but handed over the medicine.

"Sorry," he said softly, apologizing for not taking contraception measurements.

"It's okay," Sophia smiled faintly, not minding it.

She popped out a pill, poured a glass of water, and swallowed the medicine without hesitation.

Though it was expected, and he was rationally aware that this was the best course of action, Brandon's heart sank a bit as he

watched Sophia take the pill. It wasn't easy for him.

"You should rest well," he said, suppressing all his emotions, and advised softly, "Callif you feel unwell."

Sophia nodded gently, "Okay."

But Brandon didn't leave. He took out his phone and called her.

Soon after, Sophia's phone rang.

Brandon looked at her, "Save it."

Sophia hesitated, then nodded, and created a new contact "Brandon," saving his number.

It didn't really matter if she saved it or not. Brandon hadn't changed his number.

Although she had deleted all his contact information when they divorced, that number had been etched into her brain since high

school and was unforgettable.

When Brandon caught a glimpse of his n"Brandon," there was a tiny flicker in his eyes. He shot her a quick look but didn't say

anything. He silently watched her save the phone number, then whipped out his phone, fired up WhatsApp, turning the screen

towards her. "Hitup on WhatsApp, yeah?"

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