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

Chapter 68

Sarah pov.

We finally got home. As I stepped into the house, a strange mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity washed over me.

It was our old home-well, technically, Richard's home now. But every inch of it used to be ours, every corner filled with memories I'd tried so hard to pack away. Now, though, something felt off, like stepping back into a room where everything looked the same but nothing felt right.

I looked around, trying to pinpoint the changes. The walls were a different color-cool gray instead of the warm, sandy beige I had picked out together.

The furniture was sleeker, more modern, and arranged in a way that made the space feel more like a showroom than a home.

Small touches, too-abstract art on the walls where our wedding pictures used to hang, my flower pot, gone.

It was Susan's touch. I could tell. It was tasteful, sure, maybe even elegant, but it felt empty, devoid of any sense of belonging.

A pang hit me, unexpected and sharp. I hadn't anticipated feeling so... displaced.

I must've been standing there, staring, because Richard stepped in behind me, his voice soft. "You okay?"

I forced a smile, turning toward him. "Yeah. It's just... different."

He nodded, looking around like he was seeing it through my eyes. "It didn't feel right, honestly. I was meaning to change some things, but... I guess I didn't know where to start."

I glanced back at the walls, at the empty spots that used to hold the photos of our early days, of the vacations we'd taken, birthdays that had once filled this space and made it feel homely. Now, the walls were empty of us. I swallowed hard, determined not to let the past creep in and take over.

"Well," I said, trying to keep my voice light, "it seems like a good chance to start fresh, right?"

Richard's face softened as he nodded, his hand brushing my arm gently. "Yeah. You're right."

the old memories starting to fade and give way to

was time to stop holding onto what used to

said, glancing around, a small grin

in his

laughed, and the sound felt lighter than I'd expected. "Alright, don't be surprised if you end up with

look of horror made me laugh again, and I felt alive. It felt good, this playful banter, the easy connection that had been missing for so

small spark of excitement as I imagined transforming this space-not to erase the past, but to add new layers,

room with new eyes. "First thing, these walls. Gray's not really our

even a little bit," he agreed, and I could see

tapped my chin thoughtfully, throwing him a mischievous look. "We need something

wrinkled his nose, considering. "Green? Like forest

something earthy, you

used to make my heart skip

I realized how much I was looking forward to making this place feel

debated colors, and laughed about the things Susan had put up that just didn't fit-like an enormous, ornate mirror

it's a

statement it makes is 'Look how much money

we were just us again, like none of the past hurt or misunderstandings had ever come

started to feel something new building between us-a hope, a small but

down some of Susan's stiff, carefully curated artwork, replacing it with a framed photo of the two of us from one of our

up, meeting his gaze. There was something vulnerable in his eyes, a softness that wasn't

but it was tinged with something deeper. "This... us, I guess. You make

away, pretending to adjust the photo on

even the smallest changes could make a difference-a splash of

a little more ours, a little less