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."

it was tinged with something bittersweet. "I didn't feel strong when she was

a choice, she had something to say about it. I just wanted

yourself with me. I know you're

a long look. "And for what it's worth, I

closed my eyes for a second, letting his words sink in. I wanted to believe them. I needed to believe them. The truth was, this whole pregnancy thing was still so new to me, and I wasn't always sure I knew what I was doing.

wasn't just the pregnancy that made me feel emotional-it was the weight of everything I'd been carrying these past few

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

welcome distraction, especially after everything that

in the living room, looking out the window at the

on the other end. "Handling it? I'm practically running it! Everyone's on their toes, waiting for you to come back. But we're managing. No big disasters

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

managing, how are

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

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 to

smiled at her words, feeling a bit lighter. Zoe had a way of putting things into perspective. "Thanks, Zoe. I needed to hear

get under your

laughed softly. "Trust me, I'm doing my best

for you. Just make sure you stick to them. And if she doesn't respect them, well... it's okay to be a little firm,

a deep breath and

for Zoe's