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

Chapter 115

Sarah's POV

The next morning, I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the stack of papers in front of me. My hands trembled as I picked up the tattered photo, the edges frayed like it had been carried around for years. The man and little girl in the picture didn't look familiar at first, but the more I stared, the more the pieces clicked. The girl was Isabelle. That man-he had the same eyes as her.

My stomach twisted. She'd never mentioned him, never brought up her family. Why was this photo just sitting here, out in the open like a breadcrumb she wanted me to follow again?

I heard footsteps behind me and looked up to see her. Isabelle. She stood in the doorway, her head tilted slightly, a serene smile plastered on her face like she didn't have a care in the world. "Good morning," she said sweetly, her voice soft but somehow grating.

I clenched my teeth, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Is this yours?" I held up the photo.

Her smile faltered for just a second, but she recovered quickly. "Oh, yes. Just an old picture of me and my dad. I was cleaning my room and must've left it there by accident." "Accident?" I repeated, my tone sharper than I intended.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she were trying to decide whether to play innocent or push back. "Yes. Is something wrong, Sarah?"

"Plenty," I said, pushing back my chair. "We need to talk."

In the living room, I stood with my arms crossed, trying to control the shaking in my hands.

Isabelle sat on the edge of the couch, her legs crossed delicately, looking more like a guest than someone who had wormed her way into my home.

"You've been following us, haven't you?" I said, cutting straight to the point.

Her brows knit together in confusion-or maybe she was pretending. "Following you? Sarah, that's ridiculous."

"Is it?" I shot back. "You know too much about us. Things Richard and I haven't told you. And then there's the photo. You weren't just some stranger we decided to help, were you? You've been planning this for months."

Her lips parted, and for a moment, I thought she was going to drop the act. But then her eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe you think that about me," she whispered. "After everything I've been through..."

I blinked, taken aback. "What are you-?"

a hard life, Sarah," she said, her voice trembling. "My dad died when I was young. I've been on my own ever since. All I've ever wanted was a

fell freely now, and I felt the first stirrings of doubt

my voice lacked the conviction I wanted. "You've been inserting yourself

head, her expression one of pure heartbreak. "I don't know how to make you believe me. I've only ever wanted to be helpful, Sarah. I thought we were becoming

air, startling us both. "What's going

turned to see him standing in the doorway, his eyes

said quickly, wiping her tears. "I think I just misunderstood

lying," I said, my voice rising. "She's manipulating you, Richard, can't you

frowned, stepping closer. "Sarah,

been blind to everything. She's not who

you're overreacting," he said,

I grabbed my coat from the back

cutting him

***

for a while, the tension in my chest making it hard to breathe. Isabelle's face, her crocodile

right in front of him-it hurt more than

sat there, staring at nothing. My hands shook as I

her luck. She'd been watching us, studying us. But why? What did she

there was the other thing. The thing I'd

it was just stress, but deep down, I knew

and searched for the

***

on the edge of the exam table, my heart pounding as I waited for the results. "Congratulations," the doctor said when she came back into the room,

me like a freight

to speak.

you okay?" the doctor

nodded slowly, though my mind was spinning. "Yeah.