Chapter 24
Sophiaâs band twitched as she switched shoes, but she quickly composed herself Slipping into her slippers, she looked up at him and explained. âGot a hands on class today, heading to the construction site Walking in heels would be a nightmare, so I swapped them for flats
Brandonâs gaze landed on the trench coat she was wearing âA trench coat to a construction site?â
âWell Sophiaâs voice hitched. âWe change into our uniforms at school before heading to the site. We gotta dress the part, you know
Brandon gave her a skeptical look but didnât press further
Sophia squashed the nervous flutter and dawdled over her shoes, hanging up her bag filled with medicine and medical reports at the entryway. As she withdrew her hand, she couldnât help but second quess herself and cast an anxious
glance at Brandon
Brandonâs attention had already shifted to the room
Sophiaâs place was a simple studio apartment The kitchen and bathroom were side by side at the entrance. Beyond that was a makeshift living area with a small sofa and coffee table, and further in was a bed and a closed-off balcony. The interior was clean and bright decorated in a refreshing Nordic style with a hint of countryside charm. Sophiaâs living habits, much like when she was married, were laid back and casual. Her room was tidy but dotted with carelessly placed trinkets For instance, the coffee table was spotless, yet the white tabletop was home to a bamboo basket crammed haphazardly with knick knacks Among the clutter Brandon spotted a piece of paper that looked like a medical report his brows furrowing slightly as he walked towards the coffee table
Sophiaâs gaze involuntarily followed Brandonâs, landing on the medical report carelessly placed in the basket. Her heart skipped a beat, and instinctively she reached out and tugged at the hem of Brandonâs clothes
Brandon turned to look at her, his piercing black eyes filled with questions
Sophia forced a calm smile âBy the way, you havenât eaten yet, right?â
Her hand stealthily pushed the bag, with the buzzing phone inside, back into place, unaware of the deviceâs persistent
glow
Susan stared at her phone as it repeatedly reminded her, âThe number you have dialed is currently unavailable, and she felt a wave of panic. She didnât know how Sophia was doing
Earlier, after witnessing Sophia throw up twice and hurriedly hang up the call, Susan had been on edge, worried something might have happened to her friend.
But at the time, she was entertaining a client and couldnât break away to call Sophia. Later, seizing a moment to duck into the restroom, she managed a quick call to Sophia, who was on her way to the hospital. Susan could hear the unease in Sophiaâs voice, clearly flustered, even though Sophia reassured her that it was just a stomachache and she wanted to get it checked out. When the test results came back clear, Sophia immediately sent them to Susan to ease her mind. But Susan was swamped and didnât have time to respond. Now that she finally had a moment, Susan realized that Sophia had only mentioned the clear test results, not the babyâs condition or her own. Frantically worried, Susan texted Sophia for an update but got no response
Phone calls also went unanswered, and Susanâs mind was racing with all sorts of scary possibilities, fearing something had happened to Sophia. After another failed attempt to reach her, Susan decided to call Ivan instead.
Ivan picked up after a few rings.
âHello?
Susanâs voice was edged with panic as she spoke to the clear male voice on the other end, âIvan, are you home? Could you check on Sophia for me?â
Ivan was in the middle of a meal, but his voice turned grave, âWhatâs wrong?â
dont know for sure. Sophiaâs been throwing up since noon, and she mentioned spotting so she went to the hospital t couldnât talk to her properly because I was busy, and now i donât know how sheâs doing. I sent her a WhatsApp
Chapter 24
message, but she didnât reply. Sheâs also not answering her video calls or phone.â Susan was on the verge of tears. âIâm worried somethingâs happened to her. Can you please check on her at her place?â
âOkay,â Ivan said, putting down his utensils and standing up âDonât worry. Iâll go take a look and call you later.â
With that, Ivan hung up, grabbed his jacket and keys from the coat rack, and left.
Back at Sophiaâs, Brandon caught a glimpse of the light from her bag and nodded towards it. âPhone.â
Sophia glanced back at the small bag, which wasnât big enough to hold much.
She had stuffed her phone inside when heading to the hospital and hadnât taken it out since. The medical reports and medication were also crammed on top inside the bag Sophia didnât dare to open it.
She wasnât ready to tell Brandon about her pregnancy, and she wasnât sure if there was a need to, as todayâs encounter was unexpected
Seeing the hesitation on her face, Brandonâs gaze shifted back to her bag. He glanced at it, then back at her face. âYou hiding something from me?â
Sophia instinctively shook her head, âNope. Just some realtor calling. No biggie whether I answer or not.â
To convince him, she turned and reached into her bag, fumbling for her phone
Brandon watched her careful movements, then asked, âIs there something in your bag I shouldnât see?â
Sophia quickly shook her head again, âNothing like that.â
Her hand found the phone but felt the medicine and papers on top. She tried to slide the phone out without moving anything else, but Brandon stepped forward, reaching out to open her bag himself, startling Sophia into pressing down
on his hand.
The cool, delicate touch of skin met skin, and Brandon looked at her, âWhy are your hands so cold?â
âItâs been getting colder lately, Sophiaâs voice faltered, and her hand hesitantly retreated
Brandon didnât insist on opening the bag. He just looked at her and noted, âI thought you got over that a couple of years ago?
âMaybe I just canât cut it here,â Sophia said, her hand clutching the phone in her bag tensed up slightly, hesitating whether to just whip it out. Her heart fluttered with indecision, seemingly at sixes and sevens.
Brandon frowned slightly, looking at her, âYouâve also lost a fair bit of weight, I remember you used to be pretty good at rolling with the punches in new places.â
Sophia glanced at him hesitantly. As long as Brandon was willing, she had nowhere to hide in front of him.