Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart

Sarah's

POV.

The day started like any other-mundane emails, phone calls, and a cup of lukewarm coffee that had gone cold while I was distracted by my spiraling thoughts.

The office was unusually quiet, except for the distant clacking of keyboards from my employees, which only made me more restless.

I grabbed my phone, scrolling through the endless stream of messages. One, in particular, caught my eye-a message from Wesley.

He had been acting strange lately. Too friendly. Too apologetic. His last few gifts had crossed the line from thoughtful to downright uncomfortable.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but something wasn't right.

But today, I needed a favor, and Wesley was the closest person who could help.

With a sigh, I dialed his number.

"Hey, Wesley. I need to ask you something about the project. Can we meet tomorrow?" I said, trying to keep the conversation as professional as possible. "Of course, Sarah," he replied, his voice a little too smooth, too eager. "Anything for you."

"Thanks. Talk soon."

We exchanged the usual goodbyes, and I was just about to hang up when I heard his voice again. Except... he wasn't talking to me.

"Yeah, I'll handle it. Sarah's almost ready to cut him off completely," Wesley muttered, his voice lowered.

My thumb hovered over the end call button, but something about the way he said my name made me freeze.

There was a pause on his end, and then another voice chimed in-a familiar voice. Susan. Susan was on the other end of the line.

"You better make sure she does," Susan's voice said sharply. "I'm tired of waiting. Richard won't have a leg to stand on once she's done with him."

My heart stopped. I had always known Susan was manipulative, but Wesley too? He'd been pretending to care, pretending to be my friend, all while plotting against Richard and me.

I kept listening, my heart racing, feeling sick to my stomach.

"I'll make sure of it," Wesley replied confidently. "Sarah's too focused on Richard to see what's really happening. She trusts me. This will all be over soon."

I ended the call, my hand shaking. For a moment, I just sat there in silence, my mind reeling.

Wesley had been feeding me lies, pretending to support me while stabbing me in the back.

And Susan... of course, she wanted to destroy any chance Richard and I had at fixing things. But Wesley?

I had thought we were starting to repair our friendship.

Later that day, Wesley stopped by my office as planned. He walked in with that same easy smile he always wore, the one that now made me sick. "Sarah," he said, leaning against the doorframe, "You said you needed to talk?"

I didn't waste time. "Wesley, why don't you just tell me the truth?"

His smile faltered, just slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean why don't you tell me why you've been trying to ruin things between me and Richard? And don't bother lying,"

I said, standing up, my hands clenched

into fists. "I heard everything on the phone earlier. You forgot to hang up."

His expression changed from confusion to realization, then to something darker. He closed the door behind him and sighed, his face hardening.

"I wasn't trying to ruin anything, Sarah. I was trying to protect you," he said, his voice calm but cold. "Richard isn't good for you. You know that deep down."

I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "Don't pretend like you care about me, Wesley. This isn't about protecting me. This is about you."

For a moment, he didn't say anything, just stared at me, his jaw clenched. Then, something shifted in his eyes.

"You want to know the truth?" he said, stepping closer. "Fine. The truth is, I never wanted Richard to have you. He's always taken things from me. Always."

I blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Richard and I were friends once, you know. A long time ago," Wesley continued, his voice tight with anger.

"But he always got the things I wanted. The promotions, the connections... and then you. You were the last straw."

I stared at him, stunned. "This is about jealousy?"

"It's more than jealousy," Wesley snapped, his frustration bubbling to the surface.

"It's about everything. Richard has always been in my way. He's always had what I wanted, and you were just another prize to him. He doesn't deserve you, Sarah."

I felt a chill run down my spine. "You've been using me... this whole time."

He didn't deny it. "I wanted to protect you from making a mistake, Sarah. Richard will hurt you again, and you know it."

"No, Wesley. You're the one hurting me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You lied to me. You pretended to be my friend, but all you cared about was keeping me away from Richard, for your own selfish reasons."

Wesley's face tightened, but he didn't argue. "I didn't want you to move on. I didn't want to lose you."

"You never had me in the first place," I said, stepping back. "You were never my friend."

Sarah's POV

I didn't realize I was driving to Richard's house until I saw his street come into view.

My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel, my mind spinning from everything Wesley had just confessed.

His betrayal, his jealousy-everything was so twisted, I couldn't breathe.

I had held it together during our confrontation, managing to keep my voice steady even though my insides were breaking apart.

But now, as I pulled up in front of Richard's house, everything hit me all at once.

I parked, sat there for a moment, and stared at his front door. My heart pounded in my chest.

I didn't even know why I was here. But I couldn't be alone with this-this mess.

I needed him, the one person who knew what it felt like to be caught up in this nightmare.

Before I could change my mind, I got out of the car and hurried up to his door. My fist was already banging on it before I had the chance to think it through.

The door swung open after a few moments, and there he was-Richard. His hair was messy, like he had been running his hands through it in frustration, and his eyes were tired, yet concerned.

"Sarah?" His voice was soft, but there was surprise in it. "What are you-?"

"I can't-" The words caught in my throat. I took a deep breath, but all the emotions I'd been holding back came crashing down like a dam breaking. "I can't do this anymore. I just... I need to tell you something."

He stepped aside, letting me in without a word. I didn't realize how cold it was outside until I felt the warmth of his house wrap around me. My body shivered as if suddenly aware of the chill. "Come inside, sit," he said, his voice gentler now. "You're freezing."

I nodded, my legs feeling like they might give way. I stumbled to his couch, sinking into the cushions.

Richard followed, sitting beside me, but not too close. There was a pause, the silence hung between us like the air.

"What happened?" he asked softly, his eyes searching mine. "Talk to me."

I swallowed hard, trying to find the words. "It's Wesley. And Susan." My voice cracked, the weight of it all pressing down on me again.

"They've been plotting against us. Against me-against you. All this time."

Richard's expression darkened, but he said nothing, just nodded for me to continue.

"I heard them talking. Wesley forgot to hang up the phone, and I heard everything."

My throat tightened, and before I could stop them, tears welled up in my eyes.

"He said... he said he never wanted me to move on. That he was jealous of you. And Susan-she's been pushing him to keep us apart."

I couldn't hold back anymore. My voice cracked as I spoke, my words coming out in shaky gasps.

"I thought Wesley cared about me. I thought he was my friend, but he was just-just manipulating me this whole time."

I covered my face with my hands, trying to stop the tears, but they kept coming.

My chest tightened, and my breathing became uneven. I had been holding it all in for so long, and now it was pouring out in front of Richard, the one person I had been trying to protect myself from. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, and then his arms wrapped around me, pulling me into him gently.

I resisted for a moment, the tension of everything keeping me rigid, but then I let go. I let myself fall into his embrace, my head resting against his chest as I sobbed.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice muffled against his shirt. "I'm so sorry, Richard. I didn't know. I didn't-"

"Shh," he murmured, his voice soothing as he rubbed my back. "It's not your fault, Sarah. You didn't know. I didn't know either."

For a while, we just sat there like that, with me crying and Richard quietly holding me, his arms strong and steady around me.

And somehow, in that moment, I felt safe. Not from Wesley or Susan, but from my own pain. Like for the first time in a long time, I wasn't carrying it all by myself. When my tears finally slowed, I pulled back a little, wiping my eyes. Richard's hand lingered on my arm, his thumb gently brushing my skin.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying. "For... for listening."

He nodded, his eyes soft as they met mine. "You don't have to thank me, Sarah. I'm here. I've always been here."

I felt a lump in my throat. "But I've been pushing you away. I've been so scared of getting hurt again, I-"

"You had every right to be scared," Richard interrupted, his voice gentle but firm. "I hurt you before. I know that. But I've changed, Sarah. I'm not that guy anymore."

I looked down at my hands, unsure of what to say. The room was quiet for a moment, and I felt the tension between us shift, like something unspoken hung in the air.

"I should go," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "I can't stay here."

Richard stood up as I moved toward the door, but when I glanced out the window, I froze.

It was snowing-hard. Thick, heavy flakes were already coating the ground, and the wind was howling outside.

When did it start to snow this much?

"Sarah," Richard said, stepping toward me, "I don't think you should drive in that."

I bit my lip, looking out at the snowstorm. He was right. I couldn't leave now, not with the snow coming down like that. It was too dangerous.

"You can stay here," Richard offered, his voice soft. "Just for the night. I'll make up the guest room."

I hesitated for a moment, but the idea of going out into that storm seemed impossible. I nodded slowly. "Okay. But just for the night."

He smiled gently. "I'll get you something warm."

Later, I sat on the couch, wrapped in one of Richard's thick blankets, a steaming cup of tea in my hands.

He had made it for me without asking, just quietly going into the kitchen and coming back with the tea and the blanket, like he knew exactly what I needed. "Here," he had said, handing me the cup. "It'll warm you up."

I had taken it, our fingers brushing for a moment, sending a strange, electric jolt through me. I tried to ignore the way it made my heart race.

Now, as I sat there sipping the tea, the warmth spreading through me, I glanced over at Richard.

He was sitting in the armchair across from me, watching the snowfall outside. The soft light from the lamp next to him made his features look softer, more vulnerable.

I caught myself staring, and quickly looked away, my heart pounding in my chest.

"You know," he said suddenly, his voice breaking the silence, "I missed this. Just being around you. Even if it's like this."

I looked at him, my heart aching. "I did too," I admitted quietly.

He smiled, but it was sad, like he knew this moment wasn't enough to fix everything between us.

But for now, it was enough to just be here, together, with the snow falling heavily outside, trapping us in this fragile, bittersweet peace.