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

Chapter 49

Richard's pov.

That kiss. I hadn't planned it. God, I didn't even think it would happen.

One minute, we were standing there, exchanging words that were half full of hope and half full of caution, and the next... Well, she kissed me back, didn't she?

It wasn't the kiss on our wedding day-that cold, brief peck I now regretted. This kiss, though, meant something.

I could feel it in the way she hesitated, the way her lips stayed on mine just a second longer than they should have.

But then she pulled away. And I could see it in her eyes-the confusion, the fear, and that ever-present wall she'd built between us. I'd done that.

I was the reason she couldn't trust me easily anymore.

"Richard, I can't do this. Not yet."

Those words echoed in my head the whole night. I watched her drive away, wanting to stop her, to say something, but I didn't.

She needed space, and for the first time in my life, I understood that giving her what she needed was more important than what I wanted.

But damn it, I wanted her back. I wanted her more than I'd ever allowed myself to admit before.

Seeing her every day, laughing with her over dinners, watching her light up when she talked about her business, her passions... It was like I was meeting the real Sarah for the first time. And now, I couldn't imagine going back to the way things were.

The next morning, I couldn't focus. My thoughts kept going back to that kiss, her words, the look in her eyes.

too or if she was just finding

my phone, half-expecting a message from her, but of course, nothing. She wasn't

I could

around, I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to see her. Not to

discuss a business proposal. It wasn't entirely a lie; I'd been working on something that could help her company expand internationally. But honestly? It was just

surprised to see me, and for a split

voice a bit tight, like she was expecting me

run something by you," I said, keeping it casual. I handed her the proposal,

I couldn't ignore, no matter how

she wasn't really reading it. Her mind was somewhere else, probably

after a few minutes,

in just enough so that my voice felt like it was only for her, "we don't have to talk about it

then she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's

I'm willing to be patient. I've waited this long,

looked down at the papers in front of her like they suddenly became the most interesting thing in

I reached the door, I

"Why now?"

turned back, confused.

asked, her eyes finally meeting mine, searching for something. "We've been divorced for more than a year, Richard. Why

of me for a second. It was

was because I hadn't realized what I had until

too blind to see what was right in front of

I was," I finally said, stepping back into the room. "Back then, I was...

continued. "And I took it out on you. I couldn't see what I was doing, how much I was hurting you. But losing you... that was the wake-up call I needed. And now that I've got this second chance to even be in your life, I'm not wasting