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

Chapter 77

Sarah's pov.

Richard tried to brush it off, but I could see something had caught his attention. He kept glancing out the window, his smile tight, eyes a bit too serious.

My own stomach twisted a little. The dinner, the laughs - it had felt like we'd slipped into our own little world, but now, something about his unease tugged me back to reality. "Richard," I nudged, my voice softer, "what is it, really? You're worrying me."

He looked at me, then back at the window, like he was trying to figure out what to say. "It's just... There's a car out there. Been sitting there for a while now."

A prickle ran down my spine. I shifted in my seat, glancing out the window without trying to look too obvious.

Sure enough, there it was. An old sedan parked across the street, the lights dimmed, engine humming. Whoever was in there didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. "Maybe they're just... lost?" I offered, trying to make it sound convincing, though I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince him or myself.

"Maybe," Richard murmured, but his tone wasn't exactly comforting. "But it's late. And they've been parked there since... I don't know, since right before we sat down to eat."

My mind raced, pulling up every movie scene I'd ever watched about mysterious cars lurking in the shadows.

I wanted to shake off the feeling, to laugh at myself for being paranoid, but something about the way Richard was watching that car told me this wasn't just my imagination.

"Maybe... maybe it's a neighbor's friend or something," I said, my voice a little weaker than I wanted it to be. But even as I said it, I knew it didn't feel right. "Or maybe I'm just being dramatic." He gave me a faint smile, but I could see the worry etched in his eyes. "You're not. It's not just you."

He squeezed my hand, holding on tightly. "I'm probably overthinking it, but... just in case, let's keep the curtains drawn tonight."

focus on the warmth of his hand around mine, but the thought kept tugging at me - was that car just a

hard to pretend everything was normal. I could hear the silence between us, like we were both listening for something we couldn't

my fork down and stood up, peeking

car was still there. My pulse quickened, and I felt Richard's hand on my shoulder,

you feel better, I can call the

told me that

camera, to the strange vibe I'd felt at the comedy club, to the laughter that had just a hint of nervousness

want him to think I was

couldn't help but

my eyes away from the window and turned back to Richard, doing my best to muster a small smile. "Maybe it's nothing. Let's just... finish

in his eyes, matching the nervous flutter

we'd left off, but it was hard to

breath, breaking the silence. "You know what? I've got an idea. Why don't we do something a bit different tonight? Change the mood. It's been a while since we did something spontaneous." I raised an eyebrow, curiosity starting to edge out

mischievous. "You'll see.

went straight to the spot across the street where the car

Nothing. It was gone.

a mix of relief and confusion swirling through me.

message on Richard's phone, I couldn't shake the feeling that

expression, and he gave me a reassuring smile.

replied, my voice a little quieter than I intended.

bringing me back to the present. "Hey, we're going out tonight. You need a break,