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 your perfect little fiancée around while I was still trying to pick

you putting lives at risk. You helped a mentally unstable woman escape a psychiatric hospital. You gave her access

to me. She leaned forward, her voice low and venomous. "Because I wanted you to feel what it's like to

you manipulated Isabella? Used her as

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

said, my voice shaking with barely

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 I'd regret. "You've just confessed to orchestrating this entire mess," Martins said coolly. "That's all

Susan out of the room. She didn't resist, but

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

respond, refusing to

***

I relayed everything to Zoe and Martins. Sarah was still unconscious, her face pale against the hospital pillows.

is we have

confessed to everything. And once Isabella's back 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.

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

fury. I knew this

and the sound of the machines hooked to her creating an ache in

hand gently, scared that even

days since the confrontation with Isabelle and the discovery of Susan's involvement. The doctors assured me Sarah's condition was stable,

vitals, adjusting the machines, and offering

Martins were my lifelines. They stayed close, taking turns keeping me company and managing

the other hand, was already in full lawyer mode, piecing together a case that

days after Susan's arrest, I was called back to the station to review the evidence. Martins came

detective laid out what they

said, pointing to a series of grainy

a fake ID to gain access and posed as a nurse. We're still working to identify how

forward, staring at the screen. "And the security breach at

well. We found that the access code to your penthouse hadn't been changed in years, and she likely still had it from when you two were together. She

a punch to the gut. I'd been so focused on protecting Sarah that I hadn't

on me," I muttered, running a hand

you. You trusted someone who

nodded but didn't respond. Fault or not,

a whirlwind of preparation. Martins took the lead, combing through every piece of evidence the police gathered and building a case so airtight that Susan wouldn't have a chance to wiggle out of it. He spent hours on the phone, coordinating

not guilty," he said one evening as we sat in the hospital cafeteria. Zoe had taken over my

to claim diminished responsibility, but we have her

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,

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

in his chair. "Look, I get it. Your mind's with Sarah, and it should be. But this case is important. If we win, Susan gets what she

can't stop thinking about her, about what might

go there," Martins interrupted. "She's alive. The baby's alive. That's what

The doctors said her body was healing, but her mind