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

Chapter 84 Sarah's POV.

Sitting alone in the dim light of the kitchen, I read through the records, every line on the page feeling like a heavy stone added to my chest.

The file from Jason was spread out in front of me, the pieces of Richard's past deals slowly fitting together into a picture I was beginning to understand... but didn't want to.

I hadn't told Richard, not yet. Part ofwanted to protect him, to take the burden off his shoulders.

The other part, though... the part ofthat couldn't quite let go of what he'd hidden, that part wanted to know the truth for myself. And the truth wasn't pretty.

Flipping through the stack of papers, I recognized the names, dates, and even a few locations.

Richard had toldbits and pieces before-about "sdeals," a network of people he'd worked with when he was still new in business.

But he hadn't toldhow deep he'd been involved, and he certainly hadn't toldhe'd worked with people whose reputations still lingered like dark shadows over certain industries. "Why didn't he just tellall of it?" I muttered to myself, tracing my fingers over his non one of the contracts.

I wanted to believe he'd kept it fromto protect me, to keepsafe from whatever this network was still capable of.

But another part ofwondered if he simply hadn't wantedto know the full story because of cause, he hatedthen.

I closed the folder, leaning back in the chair, my head spinning. "What am I supposed to do with this?" I whispered, as if asking the quiet room itself for answers.

Every page I read, every nlisted, made it clear this network wasn't slong-dead organization. These people were still out there, still powerful-and possibly still watching.

A knock on the door startledout of my thoughts. I stuffed the papers back into the envelope and stood, smoothing down my shirt, trying to look calm as I went to open it. Richard stood there, looking worn and tired. "Sarah, hey," he said, stepping inside. "I thought I'd catch you before you went to bed." Yeah. We've been sleeping separaaately, each one with his thought.

I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. "Sure, what's on your mind?" He walked over to the table, glancing down at the envelope I'd just closed up. My heart raced as his gaze lingered on it, but he didn't say anything.

Instead, he sighed and looked back at me. "It's just... I've been feeling like everything's piling up, you know?" He ran a hand through his hair, looking away.

"I feel like I can't trust anyone aroundright now. Even people I've known for years-people I thought I could rely on. Lately, it's like they're all watching me, or holding something back." I felt a pang in my chest, knowing I was now one of those people he couldn't fully trust. I wanted to reach out and tell him everything, but the words caught in my throat.

Instead, I reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're not alone, Richard. We're in this together, remember?" He looked at me, his eyes softening for a moment. "I know. I just... I'm sorry for dragging you into all of this." "You didn't drag me," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm here because I want to be." We stood there in silence for a moment, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I wanted to ask him if he'd ever regretted those deals if he'd known just how dangerous these people were back then. But I was afraid of what he might say. He did say he left when he realized what they were-but to what extent? "Sarah, I've been thinking..." He hesitated, his gaze shifting to the floor. "Maybe I should have told you more about those deals. About the people I worked with back then." I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. "Why didn't you, Richard?" He looked up, his expression pained. "I thought I could keep it buried, that it wouldn't cback to haunt us. I didn't want to worry you, or make you feel like you had to look over your shoulder." "But now?" I pressed, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "Now we're both tangled up in it, whether we want to be or not." He winced, nodding slowly. "I know, and I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing, but..." He trailed off, his gaze dropping to the floor.

I took a deep breath, feeling my own secrets pressing down on me. "Richard, I need to know something." My voice was quiet, almost a whisper. "Is there anything else you haven't told me? Anything at all?" He looked up, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes-guilt, maybe. But he shook his head. "No. I've told you everything. Or... as much as I can remember." That last part stung, and I fought the urge to pull away from him. He'd kept so much fromalready. How could I believe he wasn't still hiding something? I looked down at the envelope on the table, the secrets I'd gathered without his knowledge, and felt a wave of guilt wash over me.

Was I any better than him? But I couldn't bring myself to hand it over. Not yet. Not when I still didn't know what it all meant.

Instead, I gave him a tight smile, hoping he wouldn't see through it. "Thanks for being honest with me, Richard." He reached for my hand, squeezing it gently. "I know I've made mistakes, Sarah, but I'm trying to make it right. For us." I nodded, feeling the ache in my chest grow. "I know. And I appreciate it."

We stood there for a moment, neither of us saying a word, the silence, m stretching between is like a barrier we couldn't seem to break. Finally, he let go of my hand, givinga small, sad smile. "I'll let you get srest." I watched him leave, my heart heavy. Once he was gone, I turned back to the envelope on the table, running my fingers over its edges.

I knew I should tell him, and show him what I'd found. But something heldback.

Maybe it was the fear of how he'd react, or the worry that he'd only get angry, or maybe it was just the small part ofthat wanted to protect him, even if he didn't deserve it.

I picked up the envelope, carrying it withto the bedroom, slipping it into the back of my closet, hidden behind a stack of sweaters. Out of sight, out of mind-or so I told myself. As I lay in bed that night, my mind kept drifting back to those papers, to the names and dates and places that seemed to form a shadowy web around us. I thought about Richard's face, the regret and guilt that had flickered there, and felt a pang of sadness mixed with anger.

Why hadn't he just trusted me? Why had he felt the need to keep all of this a secret? I know he didn't likethen, but I was his wife.

But as much as I wanted to be angry at him, I couldn't deny that I was doing the exact sthing now. Keeping secrets, hiding things I thought he didn't need to know.