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

Chapter 82 Sarah's Pov.

But the words felt hollow, empty. I looked back down at the file, trying to make sense of it all.

Back when we were married, Richard had been a closed book, and now, with these shadows from his past creeping in, I wasn't sure if I'd ever truly known him. Don't blme.

As he sat there, I thought of reaching out to someone who could helpmake sense of this mess.

Someone who might know the real truth about these deals, about the web Richard had gotten himself tangled in. When he finally went upstairs, I picked up my phone and dialed an old friend's number. It had been years since I'd spoken to him, but he'd always had connections. Trustto have loads of useful contacts, they always cin handy.

If there was a way to get to the bottom of this without Richard's help, I had to try.

"Hey," I whispered when he answered, my voice barely audible. "I need a favor." I couldn't shake the guilt. But I told myself I was doing this for us. I needed to know the truth, and if Richard wouldn't share it all, I'd find it myself.

The house was quiet when I finally hung up the phone. I looked around, feeling that weird mix of guilt and determination swirl around in me.

This was my home, the life I had built with Richard, but suddenly it felt a bit... fragile. Like everything I thought I knew was somehow at risk.

I slid the file back into its envelope, feeling the thickness of it in my hands. This wasn't just paperwork-this was Richard's past, and now, I realized, maybe his secrets too.

And the fact that he hadn't toldabout everything, just hints, it was like a stone in my stomach.

The friend I'd called, Jason, was someone I hadn't spoken to in years.

We'd gone our separate ways after college, but I knew he was still out there, working for one of those big financial companies, the kind that digs deep into the kind of business secrets most people would never see. He oweda favor or two. And right now, I needed all the help I could get.

I'd told him I was looking into a company and that I needed details on its connections, and its past deals. He didn't pry, just toldhe'd look into it. Jason was like that-straightforward, no questions. It was a relief, knowing someone would takeseriously without making it more complicated. When I finally went upstairs, Richard was already asleep. Or at least, I thought he was, until I caught his eyes as they opened slightly, watching me. "You're up late," he murmured, his voice groggy.

I tried to keep my own voice light. "Just had sthings on my mind," I said. I slipped into bed beside him, but there was that gap between us, filled with questions I couldn't ask without causing a fight.

The next morning, Jason calledback. "Sarah," he said, getting straight to the point, "I think I found something. This company you're asking about, it's tied up with a few others-snames you might recognize." My heart sped up. "Like?" "Well, I ran across a contract tied to a few small firms. One of them links to a few known names, high-profile, like... James Kent, for one." I took a sharp breath. "And... any chance you saw the nSusan on there?" Jason was quiet for a moment. "Actually, yeah. Her name's in a few of these documents, tied to similar companies. Seems she's got a hand in a lot of business deals, more than just as an investor." The pieces were starting to fit together, like puzzle parts that I wasn't sure I wanted to see clearly.

"Thanks, Jason," I said, swallowing down the nerves building in my chest. "Can you... sendwhat you have?" He agreed, promising to send it all toby that evening. I couldn't help but feel that tiny spark of hope-that maybe I'd finally get to the bottom of it, finally understand the whole picture. That evening, after Richard had gone for a walk to "clear his head" (or avoid me, one of the two), Jason's email arrived. I sat alone at the dining room table, scrolling through it.

There it was, as clear as day-company names, Richard's signature, Susan's name, and even James' scribbled into a few of these pages.

Contracts, old business records. I felt a strange mix of anger and sadness seeing Richard's nalongside theirs.

So, he hadn't just been roped into one bad deal. He'd been tied to both of them, and he hadn't toldany of it.

I took a shaky breath, feeling the pressure to confront him, to finally lay it all out. I needed answers-no more secrets, no more half-truths. I needed the full story.

When Richard cback later that night, I waited in the living room. He looked at me, noticing my serious expression, and his face tightened.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I held up the papers, and his eyes widened. "I got these," I said, my voice steady. "These are your So.m business records, Richard. Deals with James... before our wedding. You said it was after Dad died, but this doesn't say so." He sighed, looking down at the ground, and I could see the tension in his shoulders. "Sarah... that was a long tago." "Doesn't matter," I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended. "You lied to me. This wasn't just sone-tthing; you were involved with both of them, and you toldnothing. Why?" He rubbed his temples, clearly uncomfortable. "I didn't think it mattered anymore. I thought it was all in the past." I shook my head, feeling the hurt rise up. "You trusted Susan with this, didn't you? You confided in her, but not me." Don't blme. I know I've said it before. But it felt new every tit rolled out of my mouth.

Richard looked up, his eyes softer, like he was realizing just how much it hurt. "Sarah... it wasn't that simple. I didn't want you to get involved with all this mess." "And yet, here I am, dragged right into it," I said, my voice tight. "Richard, I could have helped you. But you chose to keep it a secret, and now... I don't even know what's real anymore."

He moved closer, trying to reach for my hand, but I pulled back. "Sarah, please. It was never about not om trusting you. We were not fogether O together and I just wanted to leave that life behind." "Well, it hasn't left you behind, has it?" I held up the file, waving it slightly. "Now they're using this to control you. And who's to say they won't go even further?" He looked down, his face clouded with regret. "You're right," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I should have told you... but I was afraid."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Well, that's exactly what's happening now, isn't it?" I didn't want to keep fighting, didn't want to keep this endless back and forth going, but I couldn't just ignore this, either. He stayed silent, like he knew he couldn't say anything to fix this right now. And I was too tired, too hurt to keep pushing him for answers he wouldn't give.