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.

caught the smile before she could

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

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

next stop was a small art gallery, one of those tucked-away

this one," she whispered, pointing to a piece that looked like

it. "I'm

her mouth to muffle the sound. "A dog?

what would you say

at it too, and after a pause,

along the water's edge

I felt something shift inside of me, like I was seeing

really is," I said, though my eyes were on her. "Sometimes you just have to stop and

gave me a knowing smile, and suddenly I

my throat. "What's

I just like walking around. No agenda, no plan...

wandering type,"

down at her feet as she kicked

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

though

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

those tiny, 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

if weighing her answer. "Hmm... there was this one guy who took me to a restaurant that served everything

an

the coolest thing. He kept saying how 'innovative' it was, even though it

face lit up as she told the story. "Well, I'll try to avoid

arching again, and I felt my stomach