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?"

I said, leaning forward slightly. "I just didn't show

to believe me. And

***

Coffee, small talk, a

walls up high. I could see that. She wasn't about to

then, one day, out of nowhere, she opened the door. Just a crack, but

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

guard. "Saw you?

were always so focused on your career, on Susan, on what

mouth to protest, but she held up a

moved past it. But I'm realizing now, looking back, how much I let myself be sidelined. I won't do that again,

She wasn't wrong. I had taken her for granted. I just

I said quietly. "I was an idiot. I didn't know

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you

did my best to respect her boundaries. Friends. I

was willing to try

lunch-just sandwiches at this little

I have

to this. But then, just as quickly, she

wasn't giving up, though. Not

Big ones. Ones I can't even begin to

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

Now I'm sitting here, sharing a table with her, 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 not how it works. Not after

those

I shook my head. "We haven't talked

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

it. "Well,