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."

"I didn't feel strong

felt 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 know,

with me. I know you're

me a long look. "And for what it's worth, I think you're doing an

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

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

and we spent a good half hour chatting

especially after everything that had

I asked Zoe as I paced back and forth in the living room, looking out the window

practically running it! Everyone's on their toes, waiting for you to come

control. I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to manage both work and pregnancy at

how are things at home?

know, sometimes it's hard

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,

smiled at her words, feeling a bit lighter. Zoe had a way of putting things

get under your skin. You're in charge of

I'm

if she doesn't respect them, well... it's okay to be a little firm, you know? You've got the right to protect

take a deep breath and trust yourself. You're doing the best you can. And

Zoe's words, and