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

Chapter 85 Sarah's POV.

Sitting in a quiet booth at the back of a small cafe, I wrapped my hands around a mug of coffee, letting the warmth seep through my fingers.

I glanced at the door again, nerves buzzing throughas I waited. James was late, but I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Every second that passed madequestion my decision to chere, to meet him alone. But after everything I'd found-and everything Richard still wouldn't tell me-I had to know.

I had to understand what James wanted and what he knew.

Just as I was considering leaving, the door opened, and there he was. James looked different than the last tI'd seen him-older, and a bit worn down.

But his eyes still had that ssharpness, that shint of something dark. He spottedright away and walked over, his expression unreadable.

"Sarah," he said, sliding into the seat across from me. "Didn't expect you'd actually show up." I forced a smile, trying to keep my voice steady. "Well, you leftlittle choice, didn't you?" He chuckled, a low, mocking sound. "Guess I didn't. I always knew you were curious, Sarah. But I didn't think you'd go this far." I straightened in my seat, ignoring the way his words made my skin crawl. "What do you want, James? Why are you here?" He leaned back, studyingwith that unsettling gaze of his. "Why am I here?" he repeated, his voice soft, almost amused. "I think you know the answer to that." "I don't," I said, meeting his eyes. "I wouldn't have asked if I did." For a moment, he didn't say anything, just kept looking at me, his expression shifting from amusement to something colder. "Alright," he said finally, "let's say I'm here to offer you... an opportunity." "Opportunity?" I repeated, frowning. "What are you talking about?" He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "An opportunity to save yourself-and Richard. I've seen the mess he's gotten himself into, Sarah. I know things you don't." My stomach tightened, but I tried not to show it. "And what exactly do you know, James?" He smiled, that ssmile that had always unnerved me. "Enough to ruin everything for you and Richard if I wanted to." "Why would you want that?" I asked, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. "You were supposed to be his friend, James." He shrugged, like it didn't matter at all. "Things change. People change. Richard's not the sman he was when we were friends, and neither am I. But that doesn't mean I don't still care. I'd hate to see you both go down because of his... choices." His words sent a chill down my spine, but I forced myself to stay calm. "What choices?" James shook his head, his expression almost pitying. "You really don't know, do you? He's kept so much from you, Sarah. You think he's being honest with you now, but he's not. Not even close." I clenched my hands around my coffee cup, fighting the urge to throw it in his face. "And you expectto just believe you?" "Believe whatever you want," he said with a shrug. "But if you're smart, you'll start asking Richard sreal questions. See what he says-or what he doesn't say." I glared at him, anger bubbling up inside me. "If you know so much, why don't you just tell me?" He gavea long, considering look, then leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Because there are things you're better off not knowing. Things that would change the way you look at him forever. I'm giving you a chance to save yourself, Sarah. A chance to protect what's left of your life with him." I swallowed hard, feeling a wave of doubt wash over me. Part ofwanted to get up and leave, to walk away from this conversation and never look back.

But I couldn't. Not when he was sitting here, hinting at things that could destroy everything Richard and I had built together.

"What do you want from me?" I asked quietly, my voice barely more than a whisper.

James smiled, a cold, triumphant smile. "Simple. Convince Richard to cooperate. Make him understand that fighting back will only make things worse for both of you." "Cooperate with who?" I pressed. "The network? These people you're working with?" He raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "You're smarter than I thought, Sarah. Yes, the network. They're not people you want to cross, trust me." I felt a surge of anger at his smug tone, but I kept my voice steady. "And what if I don't? What if I tell Richard everything you've told me?" He laughed, a short, harsh sound. "Go ahead. But you should know that once you do, there's no going back. Once you pull back the curtain, there's no way to put it back." I narrowed my eyes, refusing to back down. "You're just trying to scare me." "Maybe I am," he said with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean I'm wrong." We sat in silence for a moment, the tension between us thick and heavy. I wanted to scream at him, to demand he telleverything he knew, but I knew it wouldn't make a difference. James was holding all the cards, and he knew it. Finally, he leaned back, his expression softening just a bit.

"Sarah, listen. You think you're helping him by keeping this from him, by pretending everything's fine. But you're only hurting yourself. Richard's secrets... they're bigger than you think. And they're going to ccrashing down around you sooner or later." I clenched my fists, feeling the anger boiling up inside me. "If you're trying to getto turn against him, it won't work. I love him. Whatever he's done, we'll deal with it together." James looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Maybe you will. But just remember what I said-things aren't always what they seem."

He stood up, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small card. "Here," he said, holding it out to me. If you change your mind, if you decide you want answers... real answers... call this number. But think carefully before you do. Once you know the truth, there's no going back."

I stared at the card, my heart pounding. Every instinct toldto walk away, to leave this whole mess behind. But couldn't. Not when there were so many unanswered questions, so many things I still didn't understand. Slowly, I took the card from him, my fingers shaking. "I'll think about it." James gavea faint smile, his eyes glinting with something that looked almost like satisfaction. "Good. And Sarah... take care of yourself. You're deeper than you realize." Without another word, he turned and walked out of the cafe, leavingsitting there alone, the card clutched in my hand.

As I stared down at it, a wave of doubt washed over me. What if he was right? What if there were things about Richard that I didn't know-things he'd kept hidden, even from me?

But another part ofrefused to tome, believe it. Richard wouldn't lie to not about something like this. He'd made mistakes, sure, but he wasn't the kind of man James was making him out to be. At least, I hoped he wasn't.

I tucked the card into my pocket and took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. No matter what James said, I wasn't going to let him or anyone else tear us apart.

If there were things I didn't know about Richard, then I'd find out-on my own terms, not because of stwisted gJames was playing.