The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 683

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Sophia was both surprised and not surprised at all.

The room, with its table and chair, felt incredibly familiar to her.

But this familiarity was different from the vague déjà vu she felt across the street. Here, it was more like a comforting embrace, a sense of peace.

"I must have really liked this place, huh?" she asked softly.

Brandon nodded gently. "Yeah, you really did."

Sophia couldn’t help but smile, turning her focus back to the computer screen. It was something else that felt both familiar and long-lost.

"Thanks for bringing me here," she said, glancing back at Brandon with gratitude.

The studio felt strange yet comforting—a paradox of familiarity and novelty. It was like she had been adrift for so long and finally found a harbor to anchor her soul, a place where she could be herself.

Brandon saw the joy and calmness in her eyes, a mix of relief and a touch of sadness welling up inside him. He knew he had never been that safe harbor for her.

Designing and working were her lifelines, the anchors of her existence. They provided the stability she needed, and her eyes reflected a sense of coming home to them.

She sat down in front of the computer almost nostalgically, wrapping her fingers around the mouse like it was a treasure. Her face held a serenity he had never seen before.

It was just an ordinary computer, but it held the countless hours of hard work she'd poured into it. These efforts gave her the courage to start anew after her divorce, to face life unafraid. Brandon understood the joy of rediscovery she felt.

Yet beneath that joy was a tinge of bitterness, the realization of his own insignificance to her.

That was why he had hesitated to bring her here. This apartment housed another version of Sophia, one unconnected to his mother Theresa or his ex-wife, just Sophia herself.

Even with her memory loss, stepping into this space began to awaken something within her, something different.

He feared this environment might create a distance between them after they'd started growing slightly closer.

In his conflicted state, he finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper, "Do you like it?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically. "Yes."

Her eyes sparkled with uncontainable happiness, easing the anxiety that had begun to rise in Brandon. She was still the Sophia who, despite a hint of awkwardness, was filled with thoughts of him and Theresa.

His throat tightened, but he said nothing. He simply raised a hand to affectionately ruffle her hair, his touch silent yet brimming with warmth and affection.

Sophia felt a wave of awkwardness, lowering her eyelids to avoid his gaze, not quite able to meet his eyes.

To distract herself from her own reaction, she cleared her throat as if she were merely trying to ease it, then grabbed her phone to steer the conversation back to work. "Let me pull up the final draft of the science museum design for you. You can tell me if anything needs changing, and I'll adjust it right here on the computer. It'll save us both a lot of time."

She logged into WhatsApp on her computer, scanning it quickly with her phone.

Once logged in, Sophia pulled up the design she'd sent to Brandon earlier and gestured for him to take a look. "Here, take a look."

Brandon glanced at the design on the screen, placing one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the mouse. Leaning in slightly, he unintentionally surrounded Sophia in a cozy, intimate space between him and the desk.

His warm breath fell softly on her neck as he leaned in, causing Sophia to sit up straight, like a schoolkid suddenly under the teacher's watchful eye.

Brandon turned his head slightly to look at her.