The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate



Kent and Don were freaked out by the sudden turn of events. They dashed over, trying to pull Brandon off, but he was immovable.

Brandon's grip was like a vice around Marian's throat, hell-bent on snuffing her out. He was ruthless, and his handsome face had turned into a cold, bloodthirsty mask.

Marian's face was turning purple from the sudden lack of oxygen, and in panic, she kept trying to pry the suffocating grip from her neck, her face etched with terror.

But no matter how hard she fought, she couldn't break free from Brandon's iron hold, and the feeling of choking grew stronger.

Don and Kent were also seeing red. Brandon had completely lost his marbles.

"Brandon, let go, man! You're gonna kill her!"

Don was desperately trying to get Brandon to release his grip, but he might as well have been trying to move a mountain.

Brandon was dead set on sending Marian to the grave, his eyes growing colder and more merciless as he watched her, his fingers tightening even

more.

Marian was gasping for air, her struggles growing weaker.

The receptionist, security, and guests were all shocked by the scene and started to step forward.

Kent was getting panicked. He went straight for Brandon's fingers, trying to pry them off while pleading, "Mr. Crawley, chill out. Think about Sophia, think about Theresa. It's not worth throwing your life away over Marian."

"Yeah." Don chimed in, "Theresa's already lost her mom. You wanna make her an orphan?"

But that line seemed to push Brandon over the edge even more. A flash of murderous intent in his eyes, and Brandon's grip suddenly tightened.

Kent saw clearly the killing intent in Brandon's eyes, the complete disregard for consequences, and yelled in alarm, "Sophia's just missing, what if someone's saved her? If you're locked up when she comes back, what's she gonna do?"

That seemed to hit home. Brandon's grip on Marian loosened a bit.

Kent and Don took the chance and moved in, but before they could grab Brandon's hand, he shot Marian a cold glance, "If anything happens to her, you're going down with her!"

With that, he let go of her throat abruptly and stormed off.

Marian collapsed to the floor, clutching her throat and coughing violently. Whether from fright or something else, she started crying, a complete mess. Don crouched down beside her, "You alright?"

Kent, glancing at Marian still struggling to breathe, told Don, "I'll leave her to you. I gotta check on Mr. Crawley," and hurried after Brandon.

Marian was still coughing and crying, looking pretty shaken up.

Don couldn't help but try to comfort her, "With all this going on, Brandon's just not himself. Cut him some slack."

"What, just because he's in a bad mood, he can take it out on me?"

Marian was practically hyperventilating through her tears, "I even rushed over from West district because I was worried something happened to him." Don was at a loss for words.

If Marian was saying this as herself, it sounded off. But if she was acknowledging her identity as Yolanda, the meaning was different.

"I'll pass your concern on to Brandon." He finally managed to say, more as a courtesy, "But things are too chaotic right now, and you being here doesn't help. You've seen Brandon's state; he's on the edge of losing it. You should head back."

The mention of Brandon's earlier frenzy gave Marian a shiver, but she was already here and didn't want to leave just like that.

"Fine, I get that Mr. Crawley's not in the best place right now." She dusted herself off, standing up, "I'll stick around, see if there's any way I can help out."

"There's nothing for you to help with." Don also stood up, "We've got this under control. You should go now, before Brandon sees you and flips out again."

He didn't know why Brandon was so intent on hurting Marian, who was also Yolanda, the girl who quietly stayed by his side when he lost his mom as a child. But he knew that Marian and Brandon should not meet again right now, or who knew what might happen.

"I didn't provoke him."

Marian muttered under her breath, her eyes betraying a mix of fear and unease. She didn't know why Brandon suddenly wanted her dead. Could it be that he knew she had someone push Sophia in the chaos?

This thought scared her, but she quickly reassured herself. Brandon was only human, not a god. He couldn't possibly know. She definitely hadn't left anything that he could use to get a hold over her.

Seeing Marian hanging her head in silence, Don took it as hesitation. With her seemingly okay and no time to play counselor, he said, "Just head back, and be safe," then turned and left.novelbin

Marian didn't even have the chance to call out to him. She stood there undecided about whether to leave or stay.

Before she could make up her mind, Daniel showed up.

Feeling claustrophobic alone in his hotel room and unable to reach Brandon, he had decided to come down for a walk. He didn't expect to bump into Marian standing there. "Yoli?" He called out in surprise.

Marian wasn't quick on the uptake with the nickname "Yoli" and didn't realize he was calling her.

It was only when Daniel tapped her shoulder from behind that she gradually snapped out of it. Turning around, she saw Daniel looking at her puzzled, and she froze.

"Why are you here?" Daniel asked, confused. That was when he noticed the dark marks on her neck and frowned, "What happened to your neck?" Marian instinctively touched it and winced in pain, prompting Daniel to stop her, "Don't touch it. Who did this to you? They didn't hold back, did they?" Marian pressed her lips slightly and gave him a look that was caught between wanting to speak and holding back, "I did it myself; it's got nothing to do with anyone else."

"Come on, who in their right mind would strangle themselves?" Daniel chided gently; seeing Marian was tight-lipped, he turned to the receptionist and asked, "Who did this?"

The receptionist recognized both Brandon and Daniel. That morning, after Daniel returned from the hospital, he had asked her to show him the way to Brandon and Theresa's room to find him.

She hesitated, glancing at Marian, but eventually spilled the beans, "It was the gentleman you went looking for this morning."

Daniel was speechless for a moment.

He instantly remembered mentioning to Brandon that it was Marian who had let slip about the construction starting at a time not approved. He figured Brandon was taking it out on Marian and felt a bit guilty, so he softened his tone and apologized to her.

"This is all on me. This morning when Brandon grilled me about how I knew the construction time had been changed, I told him you'd mentioned it. I reckon that's why he took it out on you. Don't hold it against him; he's got a lot on his plate right now."