The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 698

Patricia was engrossed in her phone, not paying attention to the bustling surroundings.

Suddenly, Marian halted, making Patricia look up, puzzled. "What's the matter?"

Marian was too preoccupied to answer, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck to see over the crowd. She was trying to catch a glimpse of someone, wondering if she had just seen Sophia and Brandon walk by. But they were already lost in the sea of people.

Frowning, Marian shook her head, uncertain if her eyes had played tricks on her. It had been nothing more than a fleeting glance, after all.

"What is it?" Patricia asked, noticing Marian's anxious search. "Did you see someone?"

"No," Marian replied, shaking her head again. "I think I must have been mistaken."

Truth be told, it was highly unlikely for Brandon to be around here during work hours. Everyone knew how dedicated he was to his job. Plus, the two figures she saw seemed unusually close, something she couldn't imagine between Brandon and Sophia.

"Who did you think it was?" Patricia's curiosity got the better of her. Marian, having grown up abroad, didn’t have many friends here. It was rare for someone to catch her attention like this.

"It was just..." Marian hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much. But since she had already planned to meet Patricia today, she decided to take a chance. "I thought I saw Sophia with Mr. Crawley."

Patricia's face immediately turned a shade of concern, and she quickly scanned the area. "Where?"

The last thing she wanted was for Brandon to see her with Marian. Patricia was all too aware of the animosity Brandon held towards Marian after the incident with Sophia. The thought of him catching them together filled her with dread.

It was odd, this feeling of kinship towards Marian, a sense of protectiveness that she couldn't ignore. It was nothing like her feelings towards Sophia.

If there was ever an example of two people being inherently incompatible, it was Patricia and Sophia. From the moment Patricia laid eyes on her, she disliked her. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but there was something about Sophia that rubbed her the wrong way.

To Patricia, all of Sophia's apparent sweetness seemed like an act, mirroring Patricia's own efforts to fit in with the Crawley family through feigned compliance. Even Sophia's entry into the family mirrored Patricia's own path—marrying in due to pregnancy.

Patricia found this imitation nauseating. Initially, she believed her aversion stemmed from Sophia's mimicry. But now, if Sophia truly was the real Yolanda, perhaps Patricia's distaste was rooted in the past, in those early days of trying to win over a child who mirrored Brandon's disdain.

In her heart, Patricia couldn't accept Sophia as Yolanda. How could someone with such a remarkable lineage not belong to Marian? Marian was the one who seemed to fit the life Yolanda should have had.