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

Chapter 115 Sarah's POV The next morning, I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the stack of papers in front of me. My hands trembled as I picked up the tattered photo, the edges frayed like it had been carried around for years. The man and little girl in the picture didn't look familiar at first, but the more I stared, the more the pieces clicked. The girl was Isabelle. That man-he had the seyes as her.

My stomach twisted. She'd never mentioned him, never brought up her family. Why was this photo just sitting here, out in the open like a breadcrumb she wantedto follow again? I heard footsteps behindand looked up to see her. Isabelle. She stood in the doorway, her head tilted slightly, a serene smile plastered on her face like she didn't have a care in the world. "Good morning," she said sweetly, her voice soft but somehow grating.

I clenched my teeth, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Is this yours?" I held up the photo.

Her smile faltered for just a second, but she recovered quickly. "Oh, yes. Just an old picture ofand my dad. I was cleaning my room and must've left it there by accident." "Accident?" I repeated, my tone sharper than I intended.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she were trying to decide whether to play innocent or push back. "Yes. Is something wrong, Sarah?" "Plenty," I said, pushing back my chair. "We need to talk." In the living room, I stood with my arms crossed, trying to control the shaking in my hands.

Isabelle sat on the edge of the couch, her legs crossed delicately, looking more like a guest than someone who had wormed her way into my home.

"You've been following us, haven't you?" I said, cutting straight to the point.

Her brows knit together in confusion-or maybe she was pretending. "Following you? Sarah, that's ridiculous." "Is it?" I shot back. "You know too much about us. Things Richard and I haven't told you. And then there's the photo. You weren't just sstranger we decided to help, were you? You've been planning this for months." Her lips parted, and for a moment, I thought she was going to drop the act. But then her eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe you think that about me," she whispered. "After everything I've been through..." I blinked, taken aback. "What are you-?" "I've had a hard life, Sarah," she said, her voice trembling. "My dad died when I was young. I've been on my own ever since. All I've ever wanted was a place to belong, and when you and Richard offered to help me, I thought I'd finally found it. But now you're accusingof... what, stalking you?" Her tears fell freely now, and I felt the first stirrings of doubt creep in.

"Don't twist this," I said, though my voice lacked the conviction I wanted. "You've been inserting yourself into our lives in ways that aren't normal." She shook her head, her expression one of pure heartbreak. "I don't know how to make you believe me. I've only ever wanted to be helpful, Sarah. I thought we were becoming friends..." Richard's voice cut through the air, startling us both. "What's going on here?" I turned to see him standing in the doorway, his eyes darting betweenand Isabelle.

"Nothing," Isabelle said quickly, wiping her tears. "I think I just misunderstood something." "She's lying," I said, my voice rising. "She's manipulating you, Richard, can't you see that?" Richard frowned, stepping closer. "Sarah, calm down." "Don't tellto calm down!" I snapped. "You've been blind to everything. She's not who she says she is." "I think you're overreacting," he said, his tone gentle but infuriatingly dismissive.

I wanted to scream. Instead, I grabbed my coat from the back of the chair. "I need to get out of here." "Sarah-" "Don't," I said, cutting him off. "Just... don't." *** I drove aimlessly for a while, the tension in my chest making it hard to breathe. Isabelle's face, her crocodile tears, kept flashing in my mind.

And Richard-his doubt, his refusal to see what was right in front of him-it hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I pulled over in front of a park and sat there, staring at nothing. My hands shook as I rubbed my temples, trying to make sense of everything.

Isabelle wasn't just sharmless woman down on her luck. She'd been watching us, studying us. But why? What did she want? And then there was the other thing. The thing I'd been ignoring for weeks. The nausea, the fatigue, the dizziness. I told myself it was just stress, but deep down, I knew it was more.

I pulled out my phone and searched for the nearest clinic.

*** The doctor's office was quiet, the kind of sterile quiet that made my skin crawl. I sat on the edge of the exam table, my heart pounding as I waited for the results. "Congratulations," the doctor said when she cback into the room, a smile on her face. "You're pregnant." The word hitlike a freight train. Pregnant.

I stared at her, unable to speak. Pregnant. With Richard's child.

"Are you okay?" the doctor asked, her smile fading.

I nodded slowly, though my mind was spinning. "Yeah. I'm... I'm fine." But I wasn't fine.

Driving home, my thoughts were a tangled mess. I couldn't tell Richard. Not yet, Not when everything between us was so strained. Not when Isabelle was still in the picture. But what was I supposed to do? Pretend like nothing had changed? Hide the fact that I was carrying his child? As I pulled into the driveway, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and shut out the world.

But the moment I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.

The living room lights were dim, and soft laughter floated in from the kitchen. I followed the sound, my heart sinking with every step.

When I rounded the corner, I froze.

Isabelle was standing there, wearing one of Richard's shirts. She wasm close to deewa hing, too dlose, her hand resting lightly on his arm as she laughed at something he'd said. Richard looked up and saw me, his expression shifting to one of guilt and confusion. "Sarah-" "What is this?" I demanded, my voice shaking.

Isabelle turned to me, her smile calm, almost triumphant. "Oh, Sarah. You're back." I couldn't move, couldn't speak. The sight of her, so comfortable, so at ease in my home, made my blood boil.

"She washed all her clothes and the only one she got on got soiled with oil, she didn't want to offend you by wearing your clothes so I gave her mine."

Really? He didn't even search for me, no calls to know where I was, took a step toward me, but I held up me, I he was Richard a hand to stop him. "Don't," I said, my voice cold. "Just don't." I turned and walked out, the door slamming behind me.

Sitting in my car, I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to process everything.

I was pregnant. My marriage was crumbling. And Isabelle-she wasn't just a threat anymore. She was a storm, tearing through everything I held dear.