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

Chapter 144

Sarah

pov.

The house was quiet, the kind of quiet I hadn't felt in weeks.

It was almost strange how still everything seemed after Marina's departure, like the air itself had stopped bristling with her constant comments and hovering presence.

I sat at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of chamomile tea. The warmth spread through me, but my thoughts kept drifting back to her-what she'd said, what she'd implied, and the way it all made me feel.

I'd been so relieved when she left, but now that the dust was settling, I couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling in my chest. It wasn't just about her words.

It was the way they made me question things I thought I'd been confident about.

"Everything okay?" Richard's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He was leaning against the kitchen counter, watching me.

I nodded, but it was more out of habit than conviction. "Yeah. Just thinking."

He walked over, pulling out the chair beside me and sitting down. His hand reached for mine, warm and steady. "Thinking about her? Again?" he asked gently, like he already knew the answer.

I sighed, staring down at my tea. "It's not like I'm trying to. But, yeah. I keep replaying everything she said. Not just her comments about the baby, but... I don't know, the way she made me feel like I'm not doing anything right." Richard frowned, his thumb rubbing circles over the back of my hand. "Sarah, you're doing everything right. You don't have to let her get into your head like this. She doesn't live here. She doesn't live our life."

just brush it off, you know? She

someone whose opinion matters? I mean, honestly, what has she done to earn that kind of power

and yet I'd let them take root like they were. "I guess it's not even about her,"

like she poked at things I was already scared of. What if I'm not good enough? What if

grip on my

you put into everything. That's what's going to make the difference." His words settled something inside me, like a knot finally starting to

it up like it was some

Inside was a glossy baby care book with an intimidatingly long title: How to Be the

it was something radioactive.

back of the couch, peering at

flipped through the pages, skimming a few sentences here and there. The tone was just as I expected-authoritative, prescriptive, and full of phrases like never, always, and must. I could practically hear Marina's voice narrating it.

coming around to sit beside me. "You know what?

an

to prove you're over her nonsense," he said, taking the book from me and flipping it open dramatically. "Because now you can look at this and laugh instead of letting it get to you." I stared at him, then at the book, and back again. He had a point. Marina's attempt

with a laugh. "This is ridiculous. And I'm not going to let it

grinned, tossing the book onto the coffee table. "That's

porch watching the sunset. The sky was painted in streaks

arm draped over the back of my chair. "You've

quickly. "I've just been... thinking. About everything. About her. About

prompted, his eyes soft

letting people like her make me question myself," I said, my voice growing stronger with each