Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Chapter 09

RICHARD'S POV.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the smooth jazz from the speakers fill the room. We sat in the bar lounge in the mansion.

Martins sat across from me, swirling his wine like he always did when he was about to say something serious.

I could see that look in his eyes-the one that said he was about to dig into things I didn't want to talk about.

"You know," he started, his voice low, "sometimes I feel pity for her. Sarah didn't deserve all that."

"Pity?" I couldn't help the laugh that escaped, harsh and cold. "For her?" I shook my head, taking a long sip of my own wine.

The taste was bitter on my tongue, but it matched the mood. "I don't feel anything for Sarah, except maybe... hatred."

Martins raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not buying it. "Hatred? Come on, Rich. She's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" I shot him a look. Was he serious? I stared down at my glass, watching the red liquid swirl.

"You know how this all started, don't you?" I felt the anger rise in me again, just thinking about it.

"Back in high school, I was with Susan. She was... well, she was everything. Confident, strong, not some clingy little girl who followed me around like a lost puppy."I could feel the disgust creep into my voice. "Then my dad and her dad got this bright idea-'Hey, let's marry off our kids and strengthen our business ties.' Like I was just some piece in their game."

"Yeah, I remember that," Martins said, but I could hear the sympathy in his voice. It irritated me. "But Sarah-"

voice sharper than I meant it to be. "Sarah was obsessed. It

my mind, always there, always looking at me with those wide

Smiling, blushing, trying to get my

Susan knew what she wanted. She had pride. She didn't throw herself at me like

you?" Martins

"I hated that she made it so easy for them to control me. My father

married to me, but no, she decided to say yes." I felt my jaw tighten as the

twisted fairy tale, where everyone wanted the perfect love

told her," Martins said quietly. "You could've made

scoffed, setting my glass down with a thud. "What was the point? She was so blind, so hopeful. Even if I told her, she'd

just saw the version of me she wanted." I looked away, staring at the flickering candle on the table. "I was just the prize at the end of her silly dream." Martins sighed, rubbing

and she's not afraid to go after it. She's

of anger at his words. "Yeah, well, that was the deal, wasn't it?

laugh, though it sounded bitter even to my ears. "And look

I was stuck in this mess. "He was the one who killed my

staring at me, his eyes searching

picking his words carefully. "You

of bonding their precious families together." "My father trusted him, and look where that got him-six

him, none

his forehead, looking more tired than before. "You could have rejected Sarah after that, you know. Both your fathers were gone. No one would

a sharp look, my eyes narrowing. "As if you didn't know," I snapped. He was my best friend; of course,