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

Chapter 81 Richard's pov.

Sarah stood there, still holding the file like it was her only shield. Her shoulders were tense, her head slightly bowed.

I wanted to run over and pull her into my arms, to ask her a thousand questions, but I stayed back, waiting for her to gather herself. She needed a minute, and I wasn't about to take that from her. Finally, she looked around, her eyes scanning the area until they fell on me. Her expression shifted, a mix of surprise and relief flooding her face.

She didn't look angry that I'd followed her-if anything, she looked grateful.

I stepped out from the shadows, walking over slowly. "You alright?" I asked, my voice soft.

She let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Yeah. Just... a bit shaken, I guess." I glanced at the file she was clutching. "Who is he? What did he give you?" Her gaze dropped to the file, a frown creasing her forehead. "I don't know yet," she murmured. "But whatever it is... it can't be good." I put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "We'll figure it out. Together." She gavea small, tired smile. "I know. I just... I thought maybe if I did this alone, I could keep you out of it." I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "Sarah, there's no way I'm letting you handle this by yourself. We're in this together, remember?" She looked down, nodding slowly. "Yeah... together." But there was something in her eyes, a flicker of doubt, like she was still holding onto a part of the burden on her own.

I hated that look, the way she always tried to carry everything by herself.

"So," I said, nudging her lightly, trying to break the tension. "Are you going to open that thing again? Or are we just going to stand here all night?" She looked at me, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Let's get out of here first. This place givesthe creeps." I nodded, putting a protective arm around her as we walked back to the car. Every step I took, I kept glancing around, half-expecting the man to jump out from behind a corner.

But the streets were silent, empty. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching us somehow, even as we drove off into the night.

Back at the house, we sat down at the kitchen table, the file lying between us like a ticking tbomb.

Sarah hesitated, her hand hovering over it before she finally flipped it open. Inside were stacks of photos, documents, and notes-all neatly organized, like they'd been prepared just for her. Her face paled as she flipped through them, her eyes widening with every page.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning forward.

She swallowed, holding up a photo-a grainy, black-and-white shot of me, standing outside one of my old office buildings.

"They've been watching you," she whispered. "And... andtoo." She pulled out another photo, one of her leaving her yoga class, her expression distant, unaware of the camera capturing her every move. A chill ran down my spine. "This is Susan, isn't it?" I said, gritting my teeth. "She's the only one who'd go this far." Sarah nodded slowly, still staring at the photos. "I don't know if she's really the one. He didn't mention it, but what if?" I shook my head, anger boiling up inside me. "She's trying to scare us. Trying to make us paranoid and drive a wedge between us." "But... there's more," Sarah murmured, flipping to the back of the file. Her hands trembled as she held up a document, the words blurring together in my vision as I tried to make sense of them.

It was a contract-an agreement from years ago, back when I'd been naive enough to trust people like Susan. Sarah clutched the document, her face a mixture of confusion and anger as she glanced up at me. "Richard," she began, "why is your name-your signature-on a contract like this?" I ran a hand through my hair, a feeling of dread settling in. "I didn't expect you to see it like this," I admitted, taking a deep breath. "Sarah, this was years ago. I was young, too trusting. I got caught up with the wrong people." She shook her head, her gaze intense. "That man... he calledhere, Richard. He said if I didn't convince you to cooperate, if you didn't do what they wanted, they'd expose this." She looked down at the papers again, her knuckles white as she gripped them. "And if they do... your career- everything you've worked for-could be gone." I could feel her doubt, her skepticism. And I couldn't blher. From her perspective, it looked like I'd walked right into something shady.

"Sarah, I swear to you, I didn't know what I was signing back then. It was just business, I thought. Legitimate, or at least as close as it could be. But as I found out later, these weren't just deals. They were traps, ultimatums masked as partnerships." She narrowed her eyes, still studying me. "How can I be sure you weren't aware, Richard? That you didn't just... go along with this?" Her words stung, but I kept my tone calm. "Because if I'd known, I would have done everything to get out of it. And the moment I did realize, I cut ties. I had no idea they'd keep records, use them as a threat years later." Her gaze softened slightly, but the skepticism remained. "So... why now? Why are they bringing this up again?" I sighed. "They want leverage. They think that by threatening to expose this, they can forceinto doing something for them." She looked down, processing. Then, her face twisted into a frown as if piecing things together.

"It must be James. He's been stalking us and trying to stir things up. Who else would go this far?"

I felt a surge of anger at the mention of James, but I shook my head. "It's admitted possible," I admitted "But...James isn't the only one with a grudge. The in't the deals weren't just with him. They were with a group-a network of people." I clenched my fists, feeling the shrise up. "Susan knew. I told her about these deals back then...and it ran through to when we got married also." Her face fell, hurt flashing across her features. "You told her?" Her voice shook slightly. "I was your wife, and yet you kept this from me."

"I'm sorry," I replied, my voice raw. "It was long ago. I wanted to protect you from all this (thought Pd buried it all when I left that part of my life behind." Her gaze hardened, anger and betrayal flickering there. "Protect me? Or was it just easier to confide in Susan?" Her words hitlike a punch. She wasn't wrong; back then, I had turned to Susan more than I should have.

I looked down, guilt tightening my chest. "You're right. I should have told you. I should have trusted you with this."

She looked away, hurt still etched on her face. "I just... I can't believe you & believe you would go to here that you would trust her with something so serious, but not me." I reached out, desperate to make her understand. "Sarah, if I could go back, I'd do things differently." Her gaze returned to the file, her fingers tracing the edges as though weighing everything I'd told her.