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

Chapter 88 Sarah's pov.

I walked into the living room, my heart pounding in my chest, the words I'd been holding back now feeling too big to keep inside.

Richard was sitting on the couch, looking tired, as if everything was pressing down on him, too. Part ofwanted to keep silent, to shield him just a little longer, but I couldn't. Not anymore. "Richard," I began, trying to keep my voice steady. He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly at my tone. "We need to talk." He sighed, leaning back, his face showing that wary look I'd cto recognize. "What's going on, Sarah?" I took a deep breath, every part oftensing. "There's something I haven't told you... about James. And Susan." I could see his expression shift, the lines on his face tightening. He didn't say anything, so I continued, words spilling out faster than I'd intended.

"James has been reaching out to me. He's in town. I met with him a few days ago, trying to figure out what he wanted, why he was coming back now." I gauge his reaction before continuing, "He said sthings about you, about your past. I didn't want to believe it at first, but he hinted that... there's more to this. That speople are watching you, wanting something from you." Richard's gaze darkened, but he kept his voice calm. "And you thought meeting him alone was a good idea?" I felt my face heat up. "I had to know, Richard. I didn't want you to get pulled into it if it wasn't serious." "And Susan?" he asked, his tone sharper now.

"She ctotoo," I admitted, barely able to meet his eyes. "She's involved, somehow. She's furious that you left her, that you cback to me, and now she wants revenge." "She threatened to expose everything from your past if you don't... comply. I think she's connected to this network that James mentioned." I saw the anger flicker in his eyes, but more than that, there was something else-hurt, maybe, or disbelief.

"Sarah, why would you go to her?" he asked, his voice softer now. "After everything she's done, after what she put us through?" "I thought... I thought I could protect you, somehow. Find out what she wanted before she cto you. I thought if I knew, maybe we could handle it better, together." He stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Together, Sarah. That's what we're supposed to be. But I can't help if I don't know. Do you understand how dangerous this is?" I felt tears sting my eyes, but I swallowed them back. "I know. I just... I didn't want to add to your burdens. You have enough on your plate." Richard took a step closer, his eyes locked on mine, his voice low but intense. "Sarah, that's exactly why I need you to telleverything. I can handle it if I know what we're up against." "But not like this. Not with you keeping secrets, trying to shieldfrom something I already know is dangerous." His words hithard, and for a moment, I couldn't speak. All the fear, all the guilt, bubbled up inside me. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to shut you out." He let out a long breath, his face softening as he reached for my hand. "We'll figure this out, but only if we're honest with each other. You and me, Sarah. No more secrets." Richard's pov.

When Sarah started speaking, tellingshe'd met with James and then Susan, I felt my chest tighten.

I listened, watching her face as she toldeverything. Part offelt a pang of betrayal; she'd gone behind my back, taken things into her own hands, and it hurt.

But another part of me, maybe the bigger part, felt relief. At least she'd ctonow, rather than letting these secrets fester. She'd risked herself, all to protect me.

I took a breath, searching for words that didn't ceasily. "Sarah... thank you for telling me. I know that couldn't have been easy." She looked at me, her eyes a mix of regret and relief. "I thought I could handle it on my own. I just didn't want you getting pulled back into something that-" "Something I've already been in too deep?" I finished for her, a weak smile on my face. "I understand. I know what it's like to want to protect someone, even if it means keeping them in the dark." Her eyes softened, and I could tell she understood. And that's when I knew it was my turn to cclean.

There were things I'd buried so deep I'd almost convinced myself they were gone. But now, with everything coming to the surface, with Sarah staring at me, I couldn't hold them back any longer. "I need to tell you something, Sarah," I began, feeling it settle on my shoulders. "Something I should've told you a long tago." She looked at me, a bit wary but listening, and I found myself going back to those early years before my father's death.

The memory was raw, and it felt strange to share it out loud, but I knew it was time.

"Before Dad died, I joined sdeals. I was young, I didn't know much about running a business, and all these vultures circled, pretending to be allies." I took a breath, pushing through the memories. "That's when I met James. He seemed like someone I could trust, someone who had my back. And I... I was desperate enough to believe it." Sarah listened quietly, her eyes never leaving mine. I could see the hurt in her gaze, but she wasn't angry, at least not yet.

"We made deals," I admitted, rubbing a hand over my face, the shof it washing overall over again. "Things I thought were normal at the time, just the usual way of business. I thought I could show Dad I could handle business, then Dad died." He continued. "But as I got deeper, I started to see that it was darker than that, that there was more at stake than I'd realized. And by then, it was too late. I was already tied in with these people." "People like James," she said softly, piecing it together.

"People like James," I confirmed, my voice low. "And Susan. She was there, too. She knew the right people, and had all the right connections. I thought I could rely on her." I paused, feeling the words get stuck. "I thought she was on my side. Maybe, back then, she even was." "But now?" Sarah's voice was cautious.

I shook my head. "Now, she wants control. She wants to hurt us, Sarah. And she's not afraid to use whatever I told her back then against me." There was a silence, heavy and hard to break, but then Sarah spoke. "Why did you trust her so much?" I looked down, feeling the weight of the truth sink in. "Because, at the time, I thought I loved her. Or, at least, that I needed her."

The words cout almost like a confession. "After you and I married...

I know I didn't treat your right, Sarah. I AMY was so tied up in my own fears, my own need to keep things together, that I couldn't see you, not properly.

And I leaned on Susan instead, thinking I'd be better off with her." Sarah's face was calm, but I could see the pain in her eyes. "I know. I always knew, Richard."

I felt a deep shsettle over me, but I kept talking. "That's why, after you left, I thought maybe Susan was the one'd end up with. But as twent on, I realized... that wasn't true. She wasn't what I needed. I kept thinking about you, about us, and I knew I'd made a mistake." "Why tellnow?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Because you deserve to know the truth," I said, finally meeting her eyes. "And because I want you to understand... I'm not that man anymore, Sarah." "I was young, and I was scared. I let people like James, like Susan, pullinto things I should never have touched. But that's over. I'm done with them." She looked down, her hands folded together. "But they're not done with you. Or with us." I nodded, feeling that truth settle between us. "I know. And I know that, whatever's coming, we have to face it together. No more secrets."

A silence stretched between us, but it felt different now, lighter, as if we were finally facing things head-on.

Finally, her voice steady.

"Okay," she said, looking atwith a strength I hadn't seen before. "But I need you to promiseone thing." "Anything," I said, meaning it.

"No more running from this. From us, from them, from whatever comes next. We face it together, no matter what." I nodded, taking her hand. "Together," I said, feeling something insettle, a part ofI hadn't even realized was restless.

For the first tin a long time, I felt like we could actually face what was coming. And this time, we'd do it side by side.