The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 532

Kent instantly got why Brandon was keen to keep these folks around and bump their pay.

When they were clean as a whistle, getting a pat on the back and a salary that was doubled by the big boss wasn’t gonna make them want to bail. They couldn’t find a gig this sweet anywhere else, and they were all here to make a buck, after all.

Especially with everyone spooked about the bad juju from the beam that kept failing, those willing to roll the dice and give it a shot, well, cash was king for them.

Only someone with skeletons in their closet would think of hitting the road when the heat was on and the cops had got a smoking gun.

“I’m on it,” Kent quickly piped up.

Brandon gave a slight nod, didn’t say another word, but stayed put. He stood where Sophia had taken her fall the night before, gazing down at the railing, reaching out as if to touch it, his hand trembling before he could lay it down.

Kent, standing behind him, couldn’t read his face and, worried, called out, “Mr. Crawley?”

“Go on, I’m fine.”

Brandon’s voice was steady as he continued to look down at the railing. Finally, his shaking hand slowly gripped the railing, and then tightened, the familiar veins slowly standing out on his arm.

That was the last place Sophia had left her mark.

Kent glanced at the bulging veins on Brandon’s arm unconsciously and then at his silhouette, worried but not daring to say more, and simply nodded, “Alright, Mr. Crawley, make sure you take some rest too.”

No answer came. Kent didn’t dare disturb Brandon any further and silently backed away.

Brandon, with his hand on the railing, imagined the horror and helplessness of Sophia being struck and flung into the air, a raw pain surging in his chest, so intense it made his stomach clench, even breathing hurt.

Brandon never knew losing Sophia could hurt like this. He thought he'd lost her many times before - the never-again goodbyes after high school, the turning away when they divorced, over and over. He thought he’d already lost her so many times, and he thought he was used to it.

It was just going back to how things were before; no one was indispensable in this world.

But the thought of a world without Sophia, without her quiet, dimpled smile looking up at him, calling him “Brandon” in her uniquely soft voice, it felt like someone had gouged a hole in his chest.

Turned out, the past had not been about losing her at all. She had just been away for a while, but she always came back.

But this time.

Brandon’s grip on the railing suddenly tightened, bending him over in stomach pain. He looked out at the now calm river, remembering those days they’d fought, the days she'd wanted to leave.

“If only I had let you go that day, how much better it would have been.”

A hoarse, slow murmur rose with the morning breeze, but other than the gentle sound of the wind over the water, no one answered him.