The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 743

“Did I… Did you ever tell me any of this before?” Sophia hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Brandon shook his head, slow and quiet.

“No,” he said softly. “Some things, I just took for granted back then. Other things… I hadn’t even figured out for myself, let alone tried to talk about them. The truth is, I was careless. I thought I understood, but really, I never gave it enough thought.”

A fragile smile tugged at Sophia’s lips.

“Or maybe… you just didn’t care enough to share it,” she murmured. “When you truly care about someone, you want to share every little piece of your life with them. If you never say anything at all… maybe it’s because it didn’t matter to you.”

Brandon looked at her, his gaze steady. “Sophia, I’m not going to make excuses. Those two years we were married, most of my time and energy went straight into work. After my grandfather passed, the chaos he left behind didn’t disappear just because he was gone. I spent all my focus trying to steady the company, and I know I neglected you. Maybe I didn’t even realize what you meant to me back then. I just thought, we’re married, you’re by my side, that’s enough. It made me feel secure, and I could throw myself into work without worrying.”

Sophia managed a faint smile, her voice still gentle. “You never told me what was happening at the company, did you?”

Brandon nodded. “I didn’t mention it.”

“Did you think it wasn’t worth telling me?” she asked softly.

He swallowed hard, his voice rasping. “I won’t deny it: so much of what I feel for you, what you mean to me—I only started to understand it after you left. You asked why I lied to you… This is why. Without lying, I wouldn’t even have the right to keep you. The moment you decided to leave, you made up your mind to never look back.”

His voice was hoarse, almost pleading. “Does making mistakes in the past mean I’m sentenced to a lifetime of never having you again?”