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."

you know? She kept saying things like she was trying to help, but it didn't feel like help. It felt like...

"Do you really think she's someone whose opinion matters? I mean, honestly, what has

I'd let them

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

on my hand tightened,

Sarah, you're going to be an amazing mom. And trust me, I know this for a fact because I see the way you care, how much thought you put into everything. That's what's going to

laundry, a package arrived. Richard brought it into the living room, holding it up like it was

frowned, wiping my hands on my jeans before sitting down to open it. Inside was a glossy baby care book with an intimidatingly long title: How to Be the Perfect Parent: A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy Children. The note tucked inside was what gave it away. It was from

book like it was something radioactive. "This

over the back of the couch, peering at the cover. "Wow. Subtle as ever,

just as I expected-authoritative, prescriptive, and full of phrases like never, always, and must. I could practically hear Marina's voice

sit beside me. "You know

an

now you can look at this and laugh instead of letting it get to

right," I said, leaning back against the couch with a laugh. "This is ridiculous. And

tossing the book onto the coffee table. "That's my

on the porch watching the sunset. The sky was painted in streaks of

back of my chair. "You've been quiet today,"

way," I assured him quickly. "I've just been... thinking. About

his eyes soft and

I'm done letting people like her make me question myself," I said, my voice growing