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

Chapter 13

Richard's

POV.

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of my shirt. The room felt different these days. It was colder.

Susan had changed everything, from the curtains to the furniture. Even the staff moved differently around the house.

They used to smile more, chat a bit while they worked. Now, they were quieter, always with their eyes down, moving quickly and carefully.

Susan was stricter, and honestly, I didn't mind. I liked the order. I liked the discipline.

We had an event tonight-another one of those high-profile gatherings. Susan was going all out as usual.

She was already dressed, standing in front of the mirror in her silver gown, checking her reflection every few minutes.

"How do I look?" she asked again, turning slightly to see the back of her dress.

"You look stunning," I said, barely glancing at her. My focus was on finding my tie. It should've been right here in the closet, on the top shelf where it always was.

But it was gone. I frowned, digging through the shelves, and pushing aside shirts and scarves.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Susan's voice cut through the room. "We need to leave in ten minutes."

"I can't find my tie," I muttered, digging through the drawer. I could feel my patience wearing thin.

She sighed loudly and sat back down in front of the vanity, adjusting her hair. "Well, if you didn't keep things so haphazardly..."

Haphazardly? I stared at the neatly organized shelves. Susan had reorganized everything when she moved in.

She said it was for the best, that everything needed to be in its proper place. I didn't argue at the time.

She liked things a certain way, and I was fine with that. But now, here I was, standing in front of a wardrobe full of clothes and no tie.

I yanked open another drawer. Nothing. I glanced at the top shelf, then hesitated.

The ties used to be up there, in a small compartment, before Susan had moved things around.

reached up automatically, only to

wasting time," Susan said, not even bothering to look up. "Just grab another

for a different one, but it felt off. They used to be a system, a way of knowing exactly where things were.

even find a simple tie without turning

hit me. Once, I was in the same situation, searching frantically for a tie before an important

me in the middle of my mess, calm as ever.

just said something like, "It's right there. So that you don't miss it, this would be the compartment for your ties." Sarah had set it up so I wouldn't have to scramble like this. She used to do

one last look in the

the tie knot, which felt too tight around my

followed Susan out of the room, I glanced back at the wardrobe, the sense of something being off nagging at

just a tie. Why was this bothering

clicking on the floor. She was always focused, always moving

or making sure things were where they needed to be without making a big

kept telling myself. Just a small

car and pulled the door shut, I felt that tightness again,

we'd see, and what we should say,

something wasn't quite right, even though I couldn't

***

through the

and the clinking of glasses. Susan clung to my

main hall, and the noise hit

side, her hand wrapped around my arm. The way she fit me like a cloth

on his face. "It's been a while. How's life treating you?"

nod and then, almost too casually, added, "I heard

tighten. She forced a smile, but I could tell it was strained. "Everything's great," I

at Susan. "Well, that's good

moved on fast, huh? There's been some talk... you know how people

widened. "What do

rumors start." Susan's face flushed red, and I could see she was on the edge of snapping. I

people love to gossip," I said with a

up his

Susan said, her voice sharp.

excused himself, and we moved on, weaving through the crowd.

a quieter corner, an older man approached us. It was Mr. Johnson, one of the

me warmly, shaking my hand. "It's been too