The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate (Brandon and Sophia) novel Chapter 778

Haley gave a slight nod, and tears streamed down her face.

“If you knew all this, why didn’t you protect her?” Brandon asked, his voice tightening with barely restrained anger.

He was torn—grateful that Haley had saved Sophia and raised her, yet furious that she’d been forced to endure so much hardship growing up.

Haley just wept in silence.

“She was just a child. A girl. How could you stand by while your wife and son treated her like that?” Brandon pressed, his tone sharp and accusing.

Haley’s reply was barely more than a whisper. “I just wanted to keep the peace. Whenever I stood up for her, my wife would fight with me. My son, too. Suddenly everyone’s threatening divorce, threatening to walk out. It felt like I had to choose—either keep Sophia, or keep my family together. I was stuck in the middle… What could I do? I couldn’t abandon her; she only wanted to stay with me. The only way I could keep the family from falling apart was by asking her to bear it. She understood, so she was always so well-behaved, always so considerate, never wanting to cause me trouble…”

“So you were fine letting her take the fall for everyone’s sake? You used her obedience as an excuse to let them walk all over her?” Brandon snapped, cutting him off.

Haley pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Brandon turned his face to the window, fighting to regain his composure.

Haley glanced sideways at him, anxious, hesitating for a long moment before finally choking out, “I heard Sophia’s back. Is that true? Is she with you now?”

Brandon turned back to her. “What difference does it make if she is or isn’t? Are you suddenly able to stop your wife and son from leeching off her, now that she’s my wife? Can you make up for everything you let happen to her?”

Haley fell silent again.

He knew he could do neither.

“I just want to know if she’s alive, if she’s happy. That’s all.”

He looked at Brandon with pleading eyes, hope flickering in his gaze.

“She’s alive. She’s doing well,” Brandon replied, holding his gaze.

Haley’s eyes immediately brimmed with tears.

“As long as she’s alive, that’s all that matters,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. Those tears were genuine, born from relief and joy for Sophia’s survival.

Watching her, Brandon felt a storm of conflicting feelings—on one hand, he could see the real affection Haley held for Sophia, but on the other, he couldn’t forgive the weakness that let Sophia’s gentleness be traded for a fragile peace.

“Could I… see her?” Haley asked, hesitant, as if afraid Brandon would refuse. “Or even just a photo. I just want to know what she looks like now. Has she gained weight, or gotten thinner…”

Brandon gave her a long look, then pulled out his phone and found a video of Sophia playing in the sand with Theresa. He handed it to Haley.

Haley took the phone and, watching Sophia smile as she played with Theresa, her eyes reddened even more, though her expression had softened with immense relief.

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