The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sure enough, as soon as the video call connected, before Sophia even saw Theresa's face, she could hear the little munchkin's

anxious voice coming through the phone.

"I ran into an old lady when | was making a call earlier. She couldn't find her way home, so I'm taking her to find the police."

Sophia spoke gently to Theresa on the other side of the video.

Theresa's little face popped up on the screen, she nodded sensibly after hearing the explanation. "Oh."

Then she asked, puzzled, "Why can't she find her home?"

"She is sick," Sophia said softly.

"Does it hurt?" Theresa asked.

"She's not in pain, Theresa, don't worry," Sophia reassured with a smile. "Why don't you play with Grace there for a bit longer, and

| will cfind you soon, okay?"

Theresa shook her head. "lI wanna go find you, Mommy."

Sophia gauged the distance between the amusement park and the police station—it wasn't far—so she nodded, "Alright. Give the

phone to Grace."

Theresa handed the phone over to Grace obediently.

Sophia looked at Grace on the other end. "Grace, I'm at the police station to the left of the main entrance, the sone we came

through. Bring Theresa out, I'll wait for you guys here."

"Got it."

Grace hung up the phone, and soon arrived, holding Theresa.

As soon as Theresa walked in and saw Sophia, she called out "Mommy" with a mix of distress and relief. But then, seeing Sophia's

hand firmly grasped by the old lady, she becanxious and wary, silently sidling up to Sophia and hugging her thigh. Only then

did she look up at the old lady in confusion.

The old lady looked back at Theresa, equally baffled.

Sophia immediately noticed Theresa's unease, gave the granny an apologetic smile, pulled out one hand to scoop Theresa up into

her arms, gave her a kiss, and whispered, "I'm here, don't worry, Theresa."

After calming down her nerves, Sophia introduced her to the old lady. "Theresa, say hi to this lady."

Theresa glanced at the old woman, then obediently called out, "Hello, madam."

The old lady seemed to be stirred by something, her expression even more perplexed as she mumbled, "How is Yoli getting smaller

as she grows?"

Theresa didn't understand and looked to Sophia for answers.

Sophia stroked her head soothingly and said softly, "She is sick."

Theresa nodded, sort of getting the gist.

She had been playing for a while now and looked a bit worn out and sleepy.

She usually needed a nap around seven or eight.

Sophia asked in a low voice, "Theresa, are you sleepy?"

Theresa nodded, "Mhm."

Sophia apologetically looked at the old lady. "Madam, the kiddo is sleepy. I'm gonna take her hfirst. Is it okay if | cvisit

you when | have time?"

The mention of leaving made the old woman immediately tense up, gripping Sophia's hand tightly, her eyes warily on Theresa.

Sophia, not wanting to scare Theresa, gently patted her back, encouraging her to lean on her shoulder, and didn't dare to struggle

too much, afraid of hurting the old lady or frightening Theresa.

Seeing Sophia in a bind, Grace stepped forward, took Theresa into her arms. "How about | take Theresa back hto sleep?"

Sophia hesitated for a moment.

Theresa, rubbing her eyes, told Sophia. "Mommy, I'll go hwith Grace and wait for you. You help this lady get home."

Her sensible demeanor made Sophia's heart twinge with emotion.

She patted her head. "Okay, | will call a cab for you. You're such a good girl, Theresa."

Theresa nodded, "Mhm."

Sophia whipped out her phone and called a cab.

The order was taken in a flash, the driver was just a hundred meters away, ready to turn around and arrive.

Sophia relayed the license plate info to Grace, asking her to call once they got home.

"Will do."

Grace nodded, said goodbye to Sophia, and took Theresa to the curb to wait for the cab.

Brandon had just left the office, passing by the children's park on his way home.

The park's entrance was bustling with cars and kids, and he habitually slowed down as he drove through.

Theresa was waiting by the road, hand in hand with Grace.

She saw Grace craning her neck, looking at every passing car, and mimicked her, stretching her neck to peer at the vehicles

zooming by.

Brandon's car, hugging the lane close to the park and moving slowly, with windows down, caught Theresa's sharp eyes as he

passed the park entrance. She excitedly shouted, "HandsUncle!"

Sophia, watching from inside the house through the window, heard her clear and loud call for "HandsUncle," her heart

skipping a beat as she glanced instinctively towards the roadside.

She saw the familiar black Cayenne cto a sudden halt, then the car slowly pulled over and stopped, with Brandon stepping out

from the driver's seat, his usually cool demeanor softening as his eyes found Theresa on the sidewalk.

Upon spotting Brandon, Theresa excitedly wriggled free from Grace's grip and darted towards him.

Brandon crouched down with open arms to catch her.

Theresa leapt right into his embrace, her weariness vanishing as she affectionately clung to his neck.

Brandon let her nuzzle for a bit, then asked her, "Theresa, did you just have fun playing?"

Theresa nodded vigorously, "Yeah, played lots and lots of..."

She trailed off, starting to count on her fingers all the things she had played with.

Sophia's cab had arrived.

Grace saw the car parked by the curb and quickly interrupted, apologizing to Brandon, "I'm sorry, Mr. Crawley, our taxi is here, we

can't keep the driver waiting."

Brandon glanced at the car by the curb, eyebrows knitting together as he looked at Grace, "Where are you headed?"

"Just going home, Theresa is tired and needs to rest."

"I'll drive you," Brandon offered, then turned to Theresa, "Is it okay if | drive you home?"

Theresa's face lit up with joy as she nodded furiously, "Yes!"

Brandon caught the surprise bug from her and chuckled as he patted her head before he turned to apologize to the driver, telling

him to take off and slipped him a couple hundred bucks for the trouble.

The driver was totally caught off guard by such a big-hearted customer, getting a sweetener without even rolling the wheels, and

he thanked Brandon profusely before heading out.

Brandon scooped Theresa into the car, with Grace hopping in right after.

Sophia watched as Brandon got into the car, the door shut, and the ride slowly pulled away, soon disappearing from her line of

sight.

The old lady, seeing her just staring blankly out the window, got curious and peeked out too, but saw nothing.

Guess she realized that not letting Sophia go earlier was a no-no, and she got all down in the dumps, looking like a kid who messed

up, all awkward and not knowing what to do with herself, clutching Sophia's hand but not daring to let go.

Sophia shot her a reassuring smile.

And with that, the old lady's face lit up with a grin too.

Right then, someone burst through the door, panting a bit, "Sir, is Renata Frost still around here?"

When Sophia turned around in response to the sound, the speaker was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing gold-framed

glasses. He was thin and tall, but not frail, with a refined and cultured demeanor.

She looked somewhat stunned, with an inexplicable warmth, even a desire to cry.

She remembered him. Two years ago, when the family recognized Marian, he was also present, supporting Louis on the side.

The middle-aged man also noticed her, and when he saw her face clearly, he was momentarily taken aback.

Louis, supported by another middle-aged woman, hurriedly rushed in.

Before entering the room, his anxious voice was already heard from outside the door, "Gerald, is your mom inside?" While

speaking, he had already entered the room, and his anxious eyes were eagerly searching inside.

Upon seeing Renata standing by the window, the anxiety on his face instantly diminished by a large margin. However, he couldn't

help but approach and reprimand her, "I've told you not to go out alone, how many times have | said it? What if you get lost?"

Although he said this verbally, he took a step forward and gently embraced her two arms, examining her up and down, "Letsee

if you're injured."

Sophia couldn't help but glance at Louis.

Louis's eyes were filled only with Renata in front of him, and he didn't notice her.

Although he was already of advanced age, both his gaze and demeanor revealed care and love.

Suddenly, Sophia remembered the old photograph that Martin had shown her. This affection had endured from youth to old age.

Renata, who originally seemed a bit lost like a child, now appeared shy like a young girl. She didn't interrupt Louis's examination,

but anxiously said to him, "Louis, Louis, our Yoli is back." While saying this, she pulled Sophia over, "Look, it's Yoli."

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