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

Chapter 27

Sarah's

pov.

I stood in the middle of the buzzing office trying to focus on the stack of paperwork in front of me, but my mind was miles away.

The past few weeks had been exhausting, with the press conference taking a toll on me.

We are about to reveal our latest products at the business event in two days' time. It was supposed to be the big reveal, something we had worked months on perfecting. But today, something went wrong-horribly wrong.

I glanced over at the clock. It was already past 10 a. m., and the day was just beginning. The formulator had screwed up. Again.

My hand trembled as I reached for the clipboard. Weeks of sleepless nights flashed before my eyes-this couldn't be happening, not now.

If this formula didn't work, we were finished. My throat tightened as I scanned the data, the numbers blurring.

A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I called, my voice sounding more tired than I intended.

"Sarah, there's an issue with the latest batch," Nina, one of my lead chemists, said as she stepped inside, holding a clipboard.

"What kind of issue?" I asked, already feeling my stomach tighten.

She sighed, looking as stressed as I felt. "It's the consistency. We thought we had it right, but the formula's separating. It won't hold."

I swore under my breath. This was supposed to be the final version, the one that went to production.

I'd invested too much into this-too much time, too much energy. I couldn't let it fail now. Not after everything.

"I'll come down to the lab," I said, grabbing my notebook. "We'll fix it."

As I walked toward the lab, I thought about how different my life was now. A few years ago, I would've let someone else handle this.

Back when I was Richard's wife, I didn't have the confidence to speak up, to be the one in charge.

Richard used to tell me I wasn't cut out for business. "You're better in the background," he'd say, barely looking at me.

But look at me now, standing in the middle of my own empire. I didn't need him then, and I certainly don't need him now.

Richard and focused

if his intentions were purely business-or something more. The way he looked at me

carried those scars, and no amount of

the lab, the lab was a mess. Tubes and beakers cluttered every

and the team were huddled around

me see it," I said,

By the time we

but I ignored it. Whatever it was, it could

it now," I said, standing up and stretching. The team looked relieved, and I knew they had been under just as much pressure as I had. "Thanks, Sarah," Nina said, giving me a tired smile. "I don't know what

it off. "We're all in

the day, I headed back to my

as soon as I stepped inside, I was met

holding out a cup of

surprised. "You didn't have

smiled, that easy, charming smile of his that always seemed to soften the edges of a hard day. "I know, but you look like

me. It was

but we managed to save it in time." Wesley sat on the edge of my desk, too close for comfort, but I didn't say

He had been a great support to me since we started working together, always there

way he looked at me, the way he lingered a little

handle all of this with so much strength. You've really built

it's you who made this happen. You who pushed

paused, his eyes searching mine. "You've changed, Sarah. I can see it.

feeling the tension rise in the room. "I had to change," I said quietly. "I couldn't stay

his gaze intense. "I admire that about you. I... I admire

took the cup of coffee, my hands shaking. Wesley's eyes were on me, and I felt the weight of his gaze-too heavy, too intimate. I shifted in my

home," I said, standing

stood too, not moving away, his eyes still on me. "Sarah, wait. Before

words, but a part of me froze. I wasn't

been meaning to tell you something," he said, his voice hesitant now,

first started working together, it was just business. But over time... it's

at him, not

finally breaking the silence. "More than just a

catch

said quickly, holding up a

know you've been through a lot. I know your relationship with Richard left you with scars. But I'm not