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

Sarah

pov.

I woke up feeling like I was floating on air. Memories of last night flooded back-the soft glow of fairy lights, Richard's face as he knelt before me, the ring that sparkled on my finger. I glanced at my hand, letting the sunlight catch the diamond, and smiled. It still felt surreal.

The baby stirred, a gentle nudge reminding me she was there. "Good morning, little one," I murmured, rubbing my belly. She responded with another kick, and my heart swelled. Today was going to be beautiful, filled with friends and laughter at the baby shower.

But as I climbed out of bed and pulled on a robe, a faint unease settled in the back of my mind. Something I couldn't quite place.

When I reached the kitchen, the smell of coffee and the sound of laughter greeted me. Zoe was sitting at the counter, holding a steaming mug, while Martins leaned back in his chair, mid-joke. "Ah, our glowing bride-to-be!" Martins said with exaggerated flair, waving his hands like a magician.

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Good morning to you too, drama king."

Zoe slid a mug of chai toward me, her face bright with excitement. "Here. Decaf, obviously. You're welcome."

"Thanks," I said, sipping the warm drink.

Richard was standing by the window, his back to us, phone pressed to his ear. He was speaking in hushed tones, his shoulders tense. When he turned and saw me, his expression softened, but only slightly. "You okay?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said quickly, tucking the phone away. "Just handling some work stuff. Nothing important."

"Richard," I started, but Zoe cut me off, grabbing my arm.

"Don't let him bore you with his CEO stress," she said, pulling me toward the living room. "Let's talk about the shower! I need your opinion on balloon colors."

Martins snorted. "Since when does Sarah care about balloon colors? She's just going to smile and nod, like always."

I rolled my eyes. "And you're going to keep making jokes until Zoe makes you blow them all up, aren't you?"

sink into the excitement of the day. But as the

lavender dress I'd

fabric, I caught sight of Richard through the window. He was outside, speaking to two security guards, his

Something was definitely wrong.

he came back inside, I met him in the hallway. "Richard," I said, folding my arms. "What's going

smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing, love. Just making sure

"Since when do we need this much security for

it's private. You know how these things

let it go. Richard always had a protective streak, and I figured it wasn't worth

***

bed, scrolling through her phone while I adjusted the ribbon in my hair. "You're glowing," she said,

back. "It's probably just

then looked at her phone and groaned. "Ugh, I have to take this.

as she disappeared down the hallway. Alone now, I stood by the mirror, adjusting the bow one last

hum of distant chatter and

Then I heard it.

faint rustling

turned, peering through the curtains, but saw nothing. Still, the sound lingered in my

just the staff," I muttered,

door, a shadow flickered across the hallway. I froze,

called out, my

No answer.

was empty. Shaking my head, I stepped back into the room and closed the door. Then

the shadows. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled and dirty. Her eyes-wild, glassy, and

movements jerky and unsteady. "You think you've

are you doing here?" I asked, my