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

Chapters 43

Richard's

pov.

You want Sarah back, Richard, but it's not going to be easy. This is what I keep telling myself.

I should be used to challenges-my life has been full of them-but Sarah? She's different.

A different kind of challenge, one that leaves me feeling like I'm walking on eggshells around her.

But maybe that's my punishment. After all, I did mess things up pretty royally the first time around.

It all started with coffee. Simple, harmless coffee. I don't even drink the stuff, but there I was, meeting Sarah every week, pretending to care about things like her preferred roast or how many sugars she liked. "Black, no sugar, right?" I asked one morning, sliding her cup across the table like I had memorized the most crucial detail of our entire history.

She gave me a look, the kind that says, 'Really, Richard? You think that's going to win me points?' And, well, she was probably right.

"Yes, black," she replied, but there was a hint of a smile. Small victories. I'd take what I could get.

"So, how's the expansion going?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from awkward territory.

Her eyes lit up, and suddenly, she was talking about numbers and growth projections, stuff I didn't fully understand, but I nodded along, throwing in the occasional "That's great!" like I was actually keeping up. Truth be told, half of me was just marveling at how confident she had become.

"I'm really proud of you, you know," I said when she paused to take a breath.

There it was again, that look. But this time, there was a flicker of something else in her eyes-surprise, maybe? Or disbelief? I wasn't sure.

"Proud?" She raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care about what I'm doing?"

leaning forward slightly. "I just didn't show it. I

her weighing my words, deciding whether to believe

***

next few meetups followed a similar pattern. Coffee, small

high. I could see that. She wasn't about to let me waltz back

nowhere, she opened the door. Just a

a little cafe near her office, talking about one of her upcoming projects. She was explaining something about market reach when she paused, her eyes drifting off toward the window. "You know," she started, "when we were married, I never thought you really... saw me.

"Saw you? What do

always so focused on your career, on Susan, on what you were doing. I

opened my mouth to protest, but she held

guilty. I've moved past it. But I'm realizing now, looking back, how much I let myself

it-so bluntly-felt like a punch to the gut. The worst part? She wasn't wrong. I had taken

that way," I said quietly. "I was an idiot. I didn't know how to balance everything, and I made

the first time in a long time. "Yeah, well, I'm glad you realize it now.

best to respect her boundaries.

was willing to try if it meant I could stay

time, though, when we were having lunch-just sandwiches at this little

those polite, "I'm laughing because I have to" laughs, but a real,

We could get back to this. But then, just as quickly, she closed herself off again, and

wasn't giving up,

Ones I can't even begin to

I treated Sarah. I'll admit it: I was awful. Cold. Distant. I didn't just fail

when all I want is to reach across this stupid cup of coffee and apologize for everything I did to her. But I know that's not how it works. Not after

eyes, those eyes, they'd always been too sharp. She was testing

"We haven't talked in

believe me. Fair enough. I wouldn't believe me

it. "Well, that's probably for