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

Chapter 58

Richard's POV

The moment Sarah walked through my door, I knew it was the right decision to ask her for a "do-over" date.

Seeing her again had stirred something up in me-something I'd tried hard to push down, to bury beneath work and excuses.

But now, she was here, and for some reason, the idea of going on a real date seemed right.

"So, a do-over date?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow as she leaned against the doorframe. Her expression was skeptical, but her lips were tugging at the corners, ready to smile. "Yeah," I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. "You know, a fresh start. Nothing serious, no talk about... the past, just us. For once."

She tilted her head, studying me, then sighed and shrugged. "Alright, fine. Where are we going?"

I hadn't actually planned this part, so I scrambled for something. "Uh... I thought we'd start with a little walk. Tourist spots, maybe?"

She laughed, and I felt a bit foolish but grinned anyway.

"A walk?" she teased, crossing her arms. "That's your big date idea?"

"Come on, I'm just warming up," I shot back, trying to keep it light. "I can still surprise you, you know."

And with that, she let me lead her out.

The first stop was a street fair that had taken over one of the squares in the city. Stalls lined the sidewalks, with all kinds of art, knick-knacks, and foods that filled the air with spice and sweetness. Sarah's face lit up when we reached a cotton candy vendor, and I couldn't resist buying her a huge pink cloud of it. She held it up with a mix of amusement and awe, like it was something magical.

"I haven't had this in ages," she said, peeling off a piece and popping it in her mouth.

"See? Starting off strong," I joked, nudging her playfully.

but I caught the smile before she

the fair, talking about nothing and everything. The more we walked, the more I realized how

every time she looked at me with those eyes, I felt that same knot in my stomach, the one that made me want

stop was a small art gallery, one of those tucked-away places filled with strange

that looked like it was nothing but smudges and streaks. "What do

make sense of it.

her mouth to muffle the

you say it

at it too, and after a pause, said, "A potato that's having an

so out there, that I couldn't help but laugh along. People around us were giving us strange looks, but neither of us cared. We were caught up in our own little world, and nothing else mattered. Eventually, we found ourselves near the river, walking along the water's edge as the sun started to dip lower in

something shift inside of me, like

said, though my eyes were on her. "Sometimes you just have

caught me staring and gave me a knowing smile, and suddenly I

I said, clearing my throat. "What's

for a moment. "Honestly? I just like walking around. No agenda, no plan... just seeing what

you as the wandering

she said, looking down at her feet as she kicked a small pebble into the

and I felt a pang in my chest. I wanted to reach out, to take her hand, but I didn't want to

I just nodded, even though I wanted to

do change," I agreed. And I couldn't help but wonder if I

dimly lit places with mismatched chairs and walls covered in old photos. We sat by the window, and I ordered us two coffees. "So," I said after the waiter left, "what was the worst date

answer. "Hmm... there was this one

raised an eyebrow. "Even...

shaking her head. "I wish! No, but he was convinced it was the coolest thing. He kept saying how 'innovative'

enjoying the way her face lit up as she told

eyebrow arching again, and I felt