The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

"But we made up at this sspot later on, decided to tie the knot here too. This place held a different meaning for us. Too bad

they tore down the garden. Otherwise, | could've taken her back for a trip, perhaps she’ll remember something."

Louis shook his head with a wry smile, bending down to pick up the architectural model that had taken a beating. His weathered

face was tinged with faint regret and remorse.

Sophia glanced at the now distorted model on the table and saw the mix of regret and heartache on Louis's face and the confusion

and hurt on Renata's. It unexpectedly stirred up memories of the night she and Brandon decided to divorce, when he just said

‘okay’ to it. A whirlwind of emotions sparked her usually buzzing brain, and a vague concept began to take shape alongside the

model.

Sophia had a bit of an obsession with design, a frenzy for sniffing out new ideas.

For a creator, a sudden burst of inspiration could easily light up their whole brain with excitement, not bothering to ponder what it

is, who it's for, its significance, or whether it's worth the effort. In that moment, all thoughts were consumed by capturing that

fleeting moment, instinctively transforming it into a tangible creation. That's all there was to it.

After hanging up the phone, Sophia followed her brain's instinct, headed back to her office downstairs, turned on the computer,

grabbed her stylus, and without a second's pause started translating the flood of ideas and concepts into sketches, completely

forgetting to rest.

She was at it all night.

Sophia threw herself into the creative surge. The piece ctogether in one fell swoop, completely oblivious to the passing hours.

Only when dawn broke and the first draft of her work began to emerge did Sophia snap out of her creative trance. She stretched

out big time, easing the stiffness of a night's work.

Her body was weary, but her mind was still buzzing.

It had been a while since she'd felt this kind of flow.

Glancing at the initial design on her computer, Sophia felt pretty pleased. All that was left was to add color and the final touches.

She hadn't thought about what she'd do with the piece; it was a spur-of-the-moment creation, pure and simple.

Standing up from the computer, she let out a yawn. The post-creative buzz had worn off, and exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks.

Sophia checked the time; it was past nine, and that's when Theresa video-called her.

The little one had just woken up, didn't see her mom, and called.

"Mommy, where did you go?"

Her voice was still thick with sleep, sitting up in bed, tousled hair and rubbing her eyes.

"I'm in the office, busy with work," Sophia said softly. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Okay," Theresa chirped sweetly upon hearing her mom would return soon.

Sophia smiled, "Go have breakfast with Grace, okay?"

"Mhm." Theresa nodded seriously, climbing out of bed and telling Sophia, "Bye, Mommy."

With that, she hung up.

Sophia's phone screen immediately switched back to the screensaver.

She couldn't help but smile, pocketing her phone. Just as she was about to head out, she thought of Grace mentioning Brandon

giving Theresa her phone number the night before. She hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick up a toothpick from the

desk.

Stepping out of the room, Sophia noticed the door of the usually vacant apartment across the hall was open. It was the same

layout as her place on the eighteenth floor. Ever since she moved in, she hadn't seen that door open.

Seeing it ajar now made her pause with curiosity, but she didn't dwell on it, locked her door, and was about to leave.

A man's jovial voice cfrom the open door: "Sir, what do you think? The price is very reasonable for this neighborhood."

Someone's buying the place?

Sophia frowned in confusion. Passing by the open door, she instinctively glanced inside.

Brandon, inside, looked up just in tto lock eyes with her.

Sophia stopped dead in her tracks.

The estate agent noticed Sophia by the door, mistaking her for a neighbor, and cheerfully asked, "You live here too, right?"

Without waiting for her response, he turned back to Brandon, smoothly persuading, "The atmosphere in our complex is great -

mostly owner-occupied, high-quality residents, all decent folks working nearby. You won't have to worry about that at all. If you

don't believe me, just ask this lady."

Sophia was speechless, she didn’t know what to do.

Brandon looked at her, noticing her tired expression.

"Were you up all night?" he asked, walking toward her.

The agent looked at them with confusion.

Quickly catching on, the agent eagerly added, "Oh, you two know each other? That's great, friends buying in the scomplex

makes visiting easier."

And makes chasing after a girlfriend a whole lot easier too.

Not quite sure of their relationship, the agent wisely left the last bit unsaid.

Sophia glanced at the agent, then turned to Brandon who had approached her: "You're buying this place?"

"That's the plan," Brandon confirmed.

The agent quickly stepped forward, "So, what do you think? If it works for you, let's seal the deal. This place is in high demand. Lots

of viewings recently, the owner's been hesitant to let it go."

Brandon gave him a look.

The agent instantly clammed up, all his sales pitches stalling at his tongue.

"Arrange the contract with the owner," said Brandon.

Sophia watched them, didn’t know what to say.

The agent was all smiles, "Sure thing."

"How about a deposit to secure the place? Just to keep others at bay."

"I'll transfer you the money right now," Brandon interjected flatly.

The agent quickly produced the payment details.

Brandon took out his phone, transferring a deposit.

"Got it," the agent confirmed, barely containing his excitement. "I'll get you an invoice later. I'll contact the owner now, see when

he's available, and I'll get back to you with a time."

"Mhm." Brandon's gaze stayed on Sophia, who looked like she could use ssleep.

"Didn't sleep last night?" he repeated.

"Yeah, had a burst of inspiration, got wrapped up in work," she replied.

Sophia gave a half-hearted response, she didn’t know what to react on how quickly he snapped up the house; she felt a bit uneasy

in her heart.

"You're moving in here?" Sophia hesitated before asking, glancing at the well-decorated living room.

Brandon nodded slightly, his eyes still on her. "You don't seem too thrilled."

Sophia forced a smile. "Who'd be over the moon about becoming next-door neighbors with their ex-husband?"

"It's not like we're shacking up together. Life goes on as usual once you shut your front door. Does it really matter who your

neighbor is?" Brandon said calmly, looking at her.

Sophia didn't reply, not sure what to say.

Brandon had deep pockets; he's free to buy a house if he wanted.

Brandon had already changed the subject. "You didn't get any rest last night. Why not catch up on ssleep?"

"lI haven't had breakfast yet," Sophia said softly, "lI was thinking of grabbing something to eat outside."

Brandon glanced at her. "Lettag along."

Sophia looked at him hesitantly. "Aren't you busy?"

"It's the weekend," Brandon said, already looking at her. "Let's go."

Sophia hesitated then reluctantly nodded.

They had a simple breakfast at a diner near the community entrance.

Brandon had already eaten and didn't touch his food, just watched her eat the entire time.

Sophia hadn't eaten all morning and was famished, but thinking about Brandon moving in across the hall killed her appetite.

She wasn't sure if Brandon's move was because he'd found out something.

It felt like a slow cut with a blunt knife.

"Not hungry?" Seeing her put down her cutlery and having barely eaten, Brandon asked softly.

Sophia nodded lightly. "Yeah, probably because | didn't sleep well last night, so | don't have much of an appetite this morning."

"Don't stay up like that next time," Brandon said. "Go back and rest for now."

Sophia nodded. "I'm going to head back and catch ssleep, take care."

After saying that, she was ready to head back alone, not expecting Brandon to follow her.

"I'll walk back with you," he said.

Sophia was speechless.

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