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?"

said, leaning forward slightly. "I just didn't show it. I know that now. I messed

her weighing my words, deciding whether to believe me. And honestly, I couldn't blame her if she

***

next few meetups followed a similar pattern. Coffee, small

too personal-she kept those walls up high. I could see that. She wasn't about to let me

day, out of nowhere, she opened the door. Just a

something about market reach when she paused, her eyes drifting off toward the window.

"Saw you? What do

small spoon. "You were always so focused on your career, on

opened my mouth to protest,

moved past it. But I'm realizing now, looking back, how

like a punch to the gut. The worst part? She wasn't wrong. I had taken her for

quietly. "I was an idiot. I didn't know how to

glad you realize it now. But it doesn't change anything. We're

the next few weeks, I did my best to respect her boundaries. Friends.

try if it meant I could stay

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

I have to" laughs, but a real,

But then, just as quickly, she closed herself off again, and we

wasn't giving up, though. Not this

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. Big ones. Ones I can't even begin to

Sarah. I'll admit it: I was awful. Cold. Distant. I didn't just fail as a husband-I barely

pretending we can be "just friends" 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

sipping her coffee. But her eyes, those eyes, they'd

shook my head. "We haven't talked in a

quite believe me. Fair

it. "Well, that's