The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia had to tilt her head back to look at him, her eyes rimming red, not saying a word, just silently enduring his rage.

"Speak up!" Brandon's long fingers tightened on her chin, his eyes blazing, "From the get-go, you never planned on letting me

know about our daughter. You had no intention of includingin your lives."

Her throat constricted even more, but she nodded faintly. "Yes."

Her nod brought a twinge of pain to her chin, but he quickly let go.

His eyes, still red, bore into her, a tempest of fury swirling in their depths, a storm of anger so intense it was as if he wanted to

strangle her yet was holding back with all his might.

"Don't you feel even a shred of guilt towards me?" His eyes, bloodshot, locked onto hers, his voice eerily calm amid the maelstrom

of rage, each word dropping like shards of ice, "Never cared, not even a little bit?"

Sophia bit her lower lip, staying silent.

Brandon's fingers pressed slightly harder. "Sophia, don't makeduke it out with you in a custody battle over our kid."

Tears started welling up uncontrollably in her eyes once more.

She looked at Brandon. "That's the reason."

"Brandon, you askhow | dare, this is why!" Her voice was defiant, though it choked with sobs, "Back then, | hid away in Wye

City, but your family, one by one, they cornered me, even your parents cto warnoff, stopping just short of tellingto

stop bugging you and Ms. Frost. Yolanda cback too. In that situation, | was carrying your child, what was | supposed to do? |

really didn't want her then, | just wanted to be as far from you and your family as possible, to never see you again in my life, so |

went to the hospital, | was determined to terminate the pregnancy, | was already on the operating table, but she's my child too,

why should | give her up for your family's sake? So | kept her. From the moment | decided to keep her, | never planned on telling

anyone.

"l just wanted to raise her on my own. | never thought about finding you again, you were never part of my plan. | just wanted to

work at Dempsey Architects for two more years after graduating, and once | had sachievements, I'd take her back home, find

a city far, far away from you and your family, and settle down there with her.

"But why did you have to clooking for me, why did Don have to be an old pal of yours, why did my workplace have to become

your subsidiary, even the project | cherished and had high hopes for belonged to your family."

By this point, Sophia's voice was breaking, and she had to pause several times before continuing. "I even thought about giving up,

taking Theresa and running far away, but this was my career that was finally looking up, something | achieved through sleepless

nights of study and work while pregnant, it's the capital | rely on to survive and raise my child, | need this project, so | had to come

back.”

"When | decided to cback, | did think about whether to tell you or not. That's why | asked you, when you were takingto

the airport, if you'd thought about remarrying, and you said you would. I'd rather my daughter believe she has no father than to

see her dad start a new happy family.”

"Why do | have to keep lying to you? You think | feel good about deceiving? You think it doesn't break my heart when | see my

daughter clueless about what a father is? You think | don't wish she could have a dad's love like any other kid? But every t|

wonder whether | should tell you or not, you or your parents always seem to remind me, in one way or another, that my daughter

and | don't deserve it.”

"People keep warningnot to dream of climbing the social ladder through my daughter, as if | kept her just to get back into your

family. | don't want my daughter to have that misunderstanding, nor do | want her to think her existence is just a tool for her mom

to marry into wealth. | just want her to grow up healthy and happy, | don't want her to be exposed to the dirty side of your family,

is that too much to ask for?"

By the end, Sophia was almost screaming through her tears.

Brandon looked at her with a complex gaze, his handsface tense, his Adam's apple bobbing fiercely, his grip on her chin long

since released.

Sophia, eyes red, met his gaze. "I also wanted to leave openly and honestly, | told you clearly, I'm leaving, but would you let me,

Brandon?"

"lI won't!" He spelled out each word, his voice hoarse but clear, his eyes still somewhat red as they fixed on her, "Sophia, I've told

you plainly, | won't let you go, and | sure as hell won't let you take my daughter away."

Sophia's emotions nearly snapped, she glanced at him sadly, then turned to push open the car door to leave.

But the door had barely cracked open when Brandon, lunging forward, slammed it shut with a thud, pinning her against the seat.

Sophia pushed against him, but he wouldn't budge.

His palm had already captured hers, fingers entwined, pressing her firmly down into the seat.

"Sophia," he said, each word deliberate, calm yet cruel, "When you were pregnant, it should have beenby your side, not

anyone else. When you gave birth, | should have been in the delivery room. When you were weak after childbirth, it still should

have been me. Every sleepless night you spent caring for our child, the moment she started kicking, the moment she was born,

when she first lifted her head, rolled over, crawled, walked, spoke... every moment of her growth, it should have beenthere

with you both. But you've robbedof all those moments as a father, and | can't miss out on her future, nor can | miss out on

being part of your lives again, not ever!

"Whatever concerns you have, | will take care of them. These problems didn't build up in a day, and they won't be solved

overnight. All | can promise is that the situations you're worried about will never happen. | can't let my daughter face those things."

Sophia turned her head away, not responding, not knowing what to say, her mind a complete mess.

Her phone rang at that moment. it was Susan calling, probably because Theresa couldn't wait and was getting anxious.

Brandon saw the n"Susan" flashing on her phone screen, figuring it was Theresa on the other end, as Sophia always seemed

to be talking to Susan.

"I'm gonna break it to Theresa that I'm her dad," Brandon said, looking at her. "She deserves to know so she can make her own

choices."

With that, Brandon hit the answer button on her phone and switched on speaker mode.

Theresa's voice cthrough, tinged with anxiety. "Mom, when are you coming to see me?"

Brandon glanced at Kent's car not far off, his voice softening. "We're on our way now."

Theresa sounded surprised. "HandsUnkie?"

Brandon hummed a soft "yeah" and said gently, "Just hang tight, Theresa. Your mom and | will be there to pick you up in a jiffy."

Theresa responded with a soft "okay," but still seemed a bit uneasy, hesitating before she asked, "Can | talk to my mom?"

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