Chapter 168


    Sophia was on board with that.


    She figured Brandon probably wasn’t a fan of women crying, so during the years she knew him,


    whether it was senior year or the two years they were hitched, she always kept a tight lid on her


    emotions in front of him..


    But she didn’t see iting that Brandon would cut short his sleuthing because of Cindy’s waterworks.


    “He hit you up after that?” Sophia asked.


    “Nah,” Cindy shook her head, “just stopped me on my way out to peek at my phone, wanted to see the


    chat history with you. But chill, I wiped our chat clean, nothing left to find,” Cindy quickly added, then,


    unable to contain her curiosity, gave Sophia a look, “So, what’s the deal with you and Mr. Crawley?”


    Sophia hesitated, “We were high school ssmates.”


    She skirted around the fact that they were once married.


    Cindy was taken aback.


    “Don’t tell me it’s one of those stories, high school sweethearts, split over some dramatic


    misunderstanding, now it’s a


    bittersweet reunion?”


    She sniffed out the scent of a reunion with Brandon, one tinged with unfulfilled longing and resentment.


    Sophia just smiled. “Nah, that’s not it.”


    “Mr. Crawley? Date? As if,” she said.


    Cindy nodded, seeming convinced, and didn’t pry further.


    Sophia didn’t borate either, just gently reminded her to keep the police station run-in under wraps,


    especially the bit about the kid. Not everyone’s cool with the idea of sperm bank babies, and she wasn’t


    keen on being gossiped about.


    Cindy got where Sophia wasing from and agreed to keep it zipped without a fuss.


    The realtor had finished a call and came back to ask about Sophia’s rental intentions.


    Sophia wasn’t really in the mood to keep looking. The ce was a simple two-bedroom t, more than


    enough for a studio..


    Theplex had a prime location, with good schools, parks, and shopping nearby, not too far from her


    company, but not too close either-just the right distance from the Crawleys and out of Brandon’s


    commuting path.


    Plus, theplex was fairly new, with decent property management and cleanliness. The internal


    greenery and kids’ facilities were on point, making it a good bang for the buck.


    “I’ll take this one,” Sophia said.


    “Great!” The realtor was ecstatic, “So, about the one upstairs.”


    He wanted to know if Sophia was still interested in taking a look at therger apartment upstairs, a


    spacious three-bedroom spot. with better interior design and natural light.


    Sophia had initially wanted to see the upstairs unit first, but upon meeting him, she opted to check out


    the two-bedroom instead.


    Sophia knew what he was about to ask and cut him off. “This one’s good.”


    “Alright, the realtor agreed promptly.


    Sophia and Cindy followed him back to the shop to sign the lease.


    After the paperwork, Sophia treated Cindy to a meal and called her a ride.


    It was only after the taxi had disappeared into the distance that Sophia headed back to the real estate


    office.


    “Let’s have a look at the big three-bedder upstairs,” she said.


    The realtor was puzzled, not used to someone wanting to see more ts right after signing a lease.


    “I’ve got a friend who’s also looking to rent,” Sophia exined.


    Naturally, the realtor was thrilled and quickly escorted Sophia back to see the apartment.


    It was just above the seventh-floor unit she’d rented, on the eighth floor, a short climb away.


    Theyout, orientation, and light were indeed better than the smaller t, with a cozy, warm off-white


    decor and even a kids room ready to go.


    08:45


    Sophia was pleased and signed the rental contract on the spot.


    She signed on behalf of someone else, renting under the name Susan.


    By the time she got back to her hotel, it was past eleven.


    Her room felt empty yet still haunted by Brandon’s presence and the remnants ofst night’s intimacy.


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    Just the night before, a tipsy her and a furious Brandon had tangled out of control on that king-sized


    bed.


    The bed still held echoes of their reckless abandon.


    Sophia averted her gaze and rang the front desk, asking for a room change.


    Sophia spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep.


    As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was a jumbled mess of images-Brandon’s hand frozen in


    mid-air, hisplex gaze on her, Patricia’s haughty stare, Daniel’s condescending interrogations,


    asking why she came back, and then the loneliness of sitting in the living room of an empty marital


    home, watching Brandon rush out the door.


    Brandon wasn’t sleepy either.


    Alone on the living room couch, he stared out the window at the winding river below, its lights


    shimmering in the darkness, and suddenly remembered senior year, the first time he met Sophia.


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