Chapter 77
Brandon stopped in his tracks, his eyes glued to the text on the screen, silent for a long moment.
He wasn’t surprised Sophia had chosen this way to tell him to hit the road. Ever since he’d strong-armed her into shacking up at the hotel, he knew Sophia was just going through the motions.
She never went toe-to-toe with him, just put on a show of compliance while cooking up her own schemes in the shadows. Like how she applied for college and filed for divorce-keeping it on the down-low until everything was set, then dropping the news on him like it’s NBD.
Same story this time around. The moment he started sniffing around to confirm if she and Yolanda were one and the same, she was already plotting her exit strategy.
Today’s drama and the surprise appearance of his parents just handed her the golden ticket to make up her mind.
She couldn’t care less about being Yolanda, or the fact that she didn’t want to play that role, so she turned a blind eye to the DNA test results.
When she asked him about the DNA results, she was actually signaling when she’d be out the door. Brandon thought, at the very least, she’d want to have a heart-to-heart.
Sophia wasn’t the type to vanish without a peep. She was all about laying her cards on the table.
But his parents showing up scrubbed any chance of that.
The fact that Daniel and Patricia would rock up with Louis and company was a curveball Brandon never saw coming.
He hadn’t caught wind of this, and his parents weren’t exactly chomping at the bit to fly miles just to confirm Yolanda’s identity, so Brandon never entertained the thought, and their arrival caught him totally off guard.
Brandon had zero doubts that whatever was left of his shaky relationship with Sophia would crumble the second his folks stepped in. He figured there’d be time-Sophia still had classes, and according to her schedule, she should’ve been in class at that exact moment, with no time to mull things over or meet anyone.
What he didn’t consider was that maybe the decision was made in her heart the moment she laid eyes on his parents.
Brandon killed the phone screen, not bothering to ring Sophia back, pretty sure she’d be off the grid.
He took the elevator down and the moment he stepped into the hotel lobby, the receptionist, recognizing the high-roller from the penthouse suite, flagged him down. “Mr. Crawley, a lady left her room card for you, please check it.”
Brandon shot her a glance, his gaze lingering on the room cards in her hands.
“Mr. Crawley?” the clerk called out, puzzled by his silence.
He looked at her and took the room cards. “Thanks.”
7
He didn’t head back to his hotel room but drove straight to Sophia’s apartment instead.
On the way, Brandon could somewhat guess that Sophia might have already cleared out of the apartment, but he still harbored a sliver of hope and wanted to try his luck.
Sophia, however, wasn’t about to give him that chance.
Brandon knocked on Sophia’s apartment door like a woodpecker, but no answer came, no door opened, and her phone already went straight to voicemail.
Listening to the endless loop of “Sorry, the subscriber you have dialed is not available.” on the phone, Brandon cut the call, his hand almost pounding the door in frustration before regaining composure mid-swing, ultimately tapping weakly against the wood.
He sighed deeply, eyes falling to the floor where he spotted an envelope in the door’s gap.
Stooping down, he pulled out the fresh envelope, clearly placed there not long ago, with Sophia’s handwriting on it saying “Brandon (Recipient)” in her usual elegant script.
Inside was a brief note from Sophia. “Figured you might swing by. Thought I should say goodbye, so you’re not worried. I’m safe and sound. Don’t fret, and thanks for everything. But, we’re not on the same path, and a kid shouldn’t be what binds us. This is where it ends. Handed the house over to the agent, so it’ll have new tenants soon. Don’t bother coming by again. Take care.”
Brandon’s fingers tightened on the note, creasing the paper,
He turned his head away, then back again, his expression now calm.
Pulling out his phone, he video-called Susan “Where’s Sophia?”
Susan looked baffled on the other end, “Didn’t you already ask? She’s in Wye City, I gave you her home address.”
“Where is she now?”
Susan was still clueless. “Huh? I don’t know, isn’t she renting a place near the school?”
Brandon’s piercing gaze made Susan squirm.
“I really don’t know,” she swore with her hands up, “I’ve been slammed, what with the time difference and all, I haven’t had a chance to catch up with Sophia.”
Brandon gave her a look. “Got it.”
After hanging up on Susan, he dialed Kent. “What’s the status of Susan’s contract?”
Kent, thinking he was after an update, hurriedly replied. “Legal has stamped it, should be sent back soon.”.
“Don’t send it.”
“Huh?”
“Hold it.”
Kent was speechless.
The weekend rolled around with no classes and zero word from Sophia.
On the third day, Brandon hit up the school, only to find out Sophia had requested leave.
He didn’t chase down Susan, who was already blowing up his phone with frantic video calls. “Brandon, are you mixing business with personal grudges?”
Brandon faced her on the screen, cutting to the chase. “Where the hell is Sophia?”
Susan initially played tough, not wanting to spill the beans, but caved under Brandon’s intense stare, her eyes welling up. “She’s in the hospital.”
Brandon’s gaze snapped to her.
With a voice breaking, Susan confessed. “She’s having an abortion.”
Brandon suddenly shot up to his feet.
