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

Richard

pov.

The call from the police came just after dawn, jarring me awake in the cold, uncomfortable chair next to Sarah's hospital bed.

I fumbled with my phone, heart pounding as I stepped into the hallway to answer.

"We've located Susan," the officer said. "She's in custody. We'd like you to come down to the station."

My grip tightened around the phone. The relief I felt was fleeting, quickly replaced by anger. "I'll be there," I said, my voice low.

Zoe appeared beside me as I hung up. She had been sitting with Sarah through the night, taking turns with Martins to ensure I wasn't alone.

Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but her concern for Sarah mirrored my own.

"Was that about Susan?" she asked.

I nodded. "They've got her. I'm heading to the station."

"I'm coming with you," she said firmly.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Stay here. I need someone I trust to be with Sarah."

She hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But keep me updated."

When I arrived at the police station, Martins was already there, leaning against a wall in the waiting area. He straightened when he saw me, his expression grim.

"This better be good," he muttered.

"Let's hope it gives us answers," I replied.

The officer led us to the interrogation room, where Susan sat handcuffed to the table. She looked nothing like the woman I remembered-the confident, polished ex who had once been a part of my life. Instead, she was disheveled, her hair tangled and her face pale. But her eyes still held that familiar glint of cunning, a reminder of why I had ended things with her in the first place.

"Richard," she said with a small, almost mocking smile as I entered. "Long time no see."

"Susan," I said coldly, taking the seat across from her. Martins stood beside me, his arms crossed.

The officer gestured for Susan to speak, and for a moment, she just sat there, staring at me. Then, she shrugged. "Well, I guess this is the part where I spill my guts, huh?"

"Start with why," I said, my voice hard. "Why did you do this? Why involve Isabella? Why target Sarah?"

Her smile faltered, and she leaned back in her chair, studying me. "You really don't get it, do you?" she said bitterly. "You think you can just toss people aside and move on without consequences?"

I frowned. "What are you talking about? We broke up a year ago. You were the one who couldn't let go."

the one who humiliated me," she shot back. "You moved on so quickly, parading

is about you putting lives at risk. You helped a mentally unstable woman escape a psychiatric hospital. You gave her access to their home. You put Sarah and her

She leaned forward, her voice low and venomous. "Because I wanted you to feel

anger bubbling beneath the surface. "So you manipulated Isabella? Used her as

on my nerves. "Isabella was easy to manipulate. She was already obsessed with you, convinced you were her dead fiance. All I had

I said, my voice shaking with

Look at you now. Your precious Sarah is lying in a hospital bed, your baby's future uncertain. And you're here, scrambling to put the pieces together. Tell me, Richard, how does it feel?" I stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. Martins placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me before I could say or do something

escort Susan out of the room. She didn't resist, but as she passed me, she leaned in close

ending while it lasts," she whispered. "It's only a matter of time

refusing to give her the

***

unconscious, her face pale against the hospital

is we have enough to

in the psychiatric hospital where she belongs, we can focus on Sarah and the baby." "Burying her isn't enough," I said, my voice low. "I want her held accountable for every single thing she's done. I want her to

Zoe said gently. "But right now, you need to focus on Sarah. She

arrest of Susan brought a strange kind of relief mixed with fury. I knew this was far

Sarah's bedside, her pale face and the sound of the machines

hand gently, scared that even the slightest pressure might cause her

discovery of Susan's involvement. The doctors assured me Sarah's condition was stable,

the machines, and offering me sympathetic smiles, but none of it lessened the weight

They stayed close, taking turns

already in full lawyer mode, piecing together a case

I was called back to the station to review the evidence. Martins came with me, his

laid out what they

he said, pointing to a series of grainy security footage stills. One showed a woman

to gain access and posed as a nurse. We're still working to identify how she acquired the uniform

jaw clenched as I leaned forward, staring at the screen. "And the security

penthouse hadn't been changed in years, and she likely still had it from when you two were together. She passed it to Isabella, who used it to get

words hit me like a punch to the gut. I'd been so focused on protecting Sarah that I hadn't thought to check something

on me," I muttered, running a

on her, not you. You trusted someone who took advantage of it.

but didn't respond. Fault or not, the guilt was still

so airtight that Susan wouldn't have a chance to wiggle out of it. He spent

guilty," he said one evening as we sat in the hospital cafeteria. Zoe had taken over my

try to claim diminished responsibility, but we have her confession on record. That's our

though my mind was elsewhere. Every waking moment was consumed by thoughts of Sarah-her pale face, the steady beep of the machines, the tiny movements I swore I saw when I stared at her long enough. "Richard, are you

shaking myself out of it. "Confession. Strong weapon. Got

his chair. "Look, I get it. Your mind's with Sarah, and it should be. But this case is important. If

I can't stop thinking

alive. The baby's alive.

doctors said her