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?"

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

to believe me. And honestly, I couldn't blame her

***

few meetups followed a similar pattern. Coffee, small talk,

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

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

explaining something about market reach when she paused, her eyes

caught off guard. "Saw you? What do you

spoon. "You were always so focused on your career, on Susan, on what you were doing. I felt like I was just... there. An

protest, but she held up

realizing now, looking back, how much

worst part? She wasn't wrong.

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

a long time. "Yeah, well, I'm glad you realize

weeks, I did my best to respect her boundaries.

was willing to try if it meant I could

having lunch-just sandwiches at this little deli-and she laughed at something I

because I have

back to this. But then, just as quickly, she

up, though.

ones. Ones I can't even begin to

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

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

asked casually, sipping her coffee. But her eyes, those eyes, they'd always been too sharp. She was testing me,

No." I shook my head. "We haven't talked

eyebrow like she didn't quite believe me. Fair enough. I wouldn't

buying it. "Well, that's probably for