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

Chapter 104

Sarah pov.

I'll never forget the look on Richard's face when I told him he was in for a "casual" night.

He'd just come back from the beach with hair full of sand, and I'd told him to go rinse off and get ready for a surprise dinner. He'd arched an eyebrow, squinting at me in that way he does when he's trying to figure out if I'm joking.

"You? Planning a dinner? Who's helping you?" he teased, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed. "I can plan a romantic dinner, Richard," I shot back, trying to look as serious as possible.

His laughter echoed through the room. "Alright, I'm trusting you! But if this involves takeout from that burger place down the road..." "Oh, you just wait," I said, shooing him off to get dressed.

Once he was gone, I took a deep breath and gave everything a last look.

I'd spent hours setting up this sunset dinner-just the two of us, on the beach, with candles and fairy lights strung up around a small table, and a local chef prepping fresh seafood nearby. I wanted this night to be special, to show him how much he really meant to me.

By the time Richard came down, the sun was just starting to set, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. He looked around, a little stunned, and then his eyes landed on me. "Wow," he said, his voice soft. "You really did all this?"

I nodded, feeling my cheeks warm. "Surprised?"

He pulled me in for a hug. "More than surprised, Sarah. This is... perfect."

I smiled, breathing in the ocean air, feeling the warmth of his arms around me. I wanted to hold onto this moment, this feeling of peace and love.

grilled fish and tropical salads waited, along with a bottle of sparkling water chilling in an ice bucket. "Look at you, going all out,"

"I told you. I know how to

like we used to. He told me about the time he tried to cook his mom breakfast in bed and

so hard I nearly choked on

chuckling. "Back then, I thought I

serious. I watched him as he spoke, his face glowing in the candlelight. There was something different about him here, something softer, more open. "Can I tell you something?"

reached across the table,

"I don't know, it's just... I feel like we've been through so

his voice steady, "we're here because we both chose to be here. I know things haven't always been easy. But I love you, and I don't plan on going anywhere." My heart

sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the sounds of the waves and the flickering of the

said after a beat, breaking the silence, "what's

repeated, a little thrown off by the

forward. "Where do we go from here?

glancing out at the horizon. "I don't know. I mean, I want us to keep doing

serious. "Me too. I want

of confidence. "That we'll always make time for each other. No matter how busy things get, or how complicated life is, we'll always come back

smiled, lifting his glass. "To

my glass against his, feeling a sense of contentment settle over me. It felt like a

dinner, we walked along the beach, the soft sand cool beneath our feet. I leaned into him, feeling his arm wrap around me

best night," I said, glancing up

me. "All thanks to you, Miss Romantic

better appreciate it," I teased, giving him a playful nudge. "Not everyone gets a candlelit dinner on

me closer. "Oh, I appreciate