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

Chapter 88

Sarah's

pov.

I walked into the living room, my heart pounding in my chest, the words I'd been holding back now feeling too big to keep inside.

Richard was sitting on the couch, looking tired, as if everything was pressing down on him, too. Part of me wanted to keep silent, to shield him just a little longer, but I couldn't. Not anymore. "Richard," I began, trying to keep my voice steady. He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly at my tone. "We need to talk."

He sighed, leaning back, his face showing that wary look I'd come to recognize. "What's going on, Sarah?"

I took a deep breath, every part of me tensing. "There's something I haven't told you... about James. And Susan."

I could see his expression shift, the lines on his face tightening. He didn't say anything, so I continued, words spilling out faster than I'd intended.

"James has been reaching out to me. He's in town. I met with him a few days ago, trying to figure out what he wanted, why he was coming back now."

I gauge his reaction before continuing, "He said some things about you, about your past. I didn't want to believe it at first, but he hinted that... there's more to this. That some people are watching you, wanting something from you." Richard's gaze darkened, but he kept his voice calm. "And you thought meeting him alone was a good idea?"

I felt my face heat up. "I had to know, Richard. I didn't want you to get pulled into it if it wasn't serious."

"And Susan?" he asked, his tone sharper now.

"She came to me too," I admitted, barely able to meet his eyes. "She's involved, somehow. She's furious that you left her, that you came back to me, and now she wants revenge."

"She threatened to expose everything from your past if you don't... comply. I think she's connected to this network that James mentioned."

I saw the anger flicker in his eyes, but more than that, there was something else-hurt, maybe, or disbelief.

asked, his voice softer now. "After everything

what she wanted before she came to you. I thought if I

hand through his hair. "Together, Sarah. That's what we're supposed to be. But I can't help

them back. "I know. I just... I didn't want to add to your burdens. You have enough on your

me everything. I can handle it if I know what we're up against." "But not like this. Not with you keeping secrets, trying to shield me from

fear, all the guilt,

a long breath, his face softening as he reached for my hand. "We'll figure this out, but

telling me she'd met with James

watching her face as she told me everything. Part of me felt a pang of betrayal; she'd gone behind my back, taken things into her own

she'd come to me now,

didn't come easily. "Sarah... thank you for telling me. I know that couldn't have been

me, her eyes a mix of regret and relief. "I thought I could handle it on my own. I just didn't want you getting pulled back into something

a weak smile on my face. "I understand. I know what it's like to want to protect someone, even if

things I'd buried so deep I'd almost convinced myself they were gone. But now, with everything coming to the surface, with Sarah staring at me, I couldn't hold them back any longer. "I need to tell you something,

I found myself going back to those

strange to share it out loud, but I knew it

I didn't know much about running a business, and all these

pushing through the memories. "That's when I met James. He seemed like someone I could

the hurt in

rubbing a hand over my face,

the usual way of business. I thought I could show Dad I could handle business, then Dad

I got deeper, I started to see that it was darker than that, that there was more at stake than I'd realized. And by then, it was too

too. She knew the right people, and had all the

stuck. "I thought she was

Sarah's

she wants control. She wants to hurt us, Sarah. And she's not afraid to use whatever I told her back