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

Chapter 142

Sarah pov.

The next few days felt like a slow exhale, like when you finally get to take off a tight pair of shoes after a long day. It wasn't that I hated Marina-I just couldn't stand how overbearing she'd been. I had always known she could be a bit much, but having her around constantly made it hard to keep my patience.

Now, with her gone, I could finally breathe.

I was sitting at the kitchen table the morning after she left, sipping my coffee in peace. Richard was at the counter, fiddling with the coffee machine, his back turned to me.

It was a rare moment of calm, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to let go of all the tension that had built up in the past week.

"You okay?" Richard asked, glancing over his shoulder with a slight smirk. "You seem... quieter than usual."

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "Just... tired, I guess. It's nice to have the house back to ourselves. No unsolicited advice on every little thing."

I chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood. But deep down, I felt something else-relief, yes, but also a tiny bit of guilt. I shouldn't have let Marina get to me that much, but I couldn't help it.

Richard set his mug down and came over to the table, sitting next to me. His hand brushed mine gently, and for a moment, I felt the world settle.

"You know," he said, his voice low, "I think you handled her a lot better than I would've." He leaned in and kissed my forehead softly. "You've got so much strength, Sarah. I don't know how you do it."

smiled, but it was tinged with something bittersweet. "I

like every time I made a choice, she had something to say about it. I just wanted to do things my way, but... I don't

don't have to second-guess yourself with me. I know you're doing what's best

what it's worth, I think you're

pregnancy thing was still so new to

that made me feel

Zoe, and we spent a good half hour chatting about work

was a welcome distraction, especially after everything

over there?" I asked Zoe as I paced back and forth in the living room, looking out the window at the soft rain falling outside. "You handling the office all

it! Everyone's on their toes, waiting for you to come back.

glad you're keeping things under control. I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to manage both work and pregnancy at the

said. "And speaking of managing, how are things at home? You surviving without losing your

fine. She left this morning. It's just, you know, sometimes it's hard to deal

"Ah, the infamous unsolicited advice. Yeah, I get that. From everyone, right? Like they think you don't know what you're doing just because you're pregnant. But listen, Sarah, you've always been strong-don't let anyone mess with your confidence, okay? You don't need to explain yourself

Zoe had a way of putting

anyone get under your

"Trust me, I'm

well... it's okay to

"Just take a deep breath and trust yourself. You're

for Zoe's words, and for her support throughout