Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart

SARAH

POV.

The day started with a burnt piece of toast. That's how you know things are about to go downhill.

First, you burn your breakfast, then you burn your bridges. I stared at the blackened slice, smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling, and sighed.

"Figures," I muttered, tossing the toast into the trash. "Can't even make breakfast without things falling apart.

It wasn't just the toast, though. It was everything. My life has felt like a pile of burnt toast lately, and today, I was finally going to scrape it off my plate for good.

Richard had to go. There was no point dragging this mess out any longer. I was done being the fool.

The last few days had been a blur of confusion and hurt. After everything Wesley had said and Susan's cryptic messages about Richard being the same liar he'd always been, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking back into a fire. Every time I tried to convince myself that Richard had changed, that we could somehow make it work, the old wounds started to throb.

Memories of him leaving, choosing Susan, all came flooding back, leaving me paralyzed with fear.

Emma, my best friend and my occasional moral compass, had seen me spiraling. We'd met up for a video call the day after my blowout with Richard.

The way I'd confronted him, accusing him of being in contact with Susan... It was a disaster. His face had looked so hurt, like I'd stabbed him in the chest. I hated it. But I couldn't help it.

"Sarah," Emma had said, her voice calm but firm, "you can't keep doing this to yourself. If you don't trust him, if you really believe he hasn't changed, then why are you holding on?"

"I don't know," I'd said, swirling my coffee absentmindedly. "I guess I just... I want to believe him. But everything's telling me not to."

"Then maybe it's time to listen to that voice," she said gently, giving me a look of sympathy. "Sometimes people don't change. You've already seen what he's capable of. Do you really want to go through that again?"

I'd nodded, feeling that familiar ache in my chest. Emma was right. I couldn't risk getting hurt again. Richard had broken me once, and I wasn't sure I'd survive if he did it again.

So today, as I stood in front of the mirror, pulling my hair into a tight bun, I knew what had to happen. I had to end it. For good.

When I arrived at the office, Richard was already there, sitting at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen.

He looked tired, worn out, like he hadn't slept in days. Guilt tugged at me for a second, but I pushed it down. This wasn't the time to be soft.

"Hey," he said, looking up when he saw me walk in.

"Hey," I replied, avoiding his gaze. I sat down at my desk, pretending to go through my emails, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on anything today. "Sarah," he said after a moment, his voice hesitant, "can we talk?"

I took a deep breath, bracing myself. "Yeah. We need to."

He stood up and walked over to my desk, leaning against it as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've been thinking about what you said the other day. About Susan." I kept my eyes on the computer screen, not wanting to look at him. "Yeah?"

"I don't know what she's been telling you, but I swear, Sarah, I'm not talking to her. I haven't spoken to her in months. Whatever she's trying to do, it's just... it's not real."

I finally looked up at him, my heart heavy. "I want to believe you, Richard. I really do. But it's not just about Susan. It's everything. Our past, what you did, how you left... I can't get it out of my head."

His face fell, and for a moment, I thought he might cry. "I know I messed up, Sarah. I know I hurt you. But I'm not that guy anymore. I'm trying to be better."

I shook my head, feeling the tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "I thought maybe you'd changed. I thought maybe we could start over. But every time I let myself get close to you again, I remember how much it hurt when you left. How much you broke me."

Richard's hands dropped to his sides, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "So... what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't do this anymore." My voice broke as I said the words, but I pushed through. "I can't keep pretending that things are different. You left me for her once, and I don't know if I can trust that you won't do it again." "Sarah, please," he said, stepping closer, his voice desperate. "I love you. I want to fix this. I'm not going anywhere this time, I swear."

But I couldn't let myself believe him. Not after everything. But I couldn't ignore what Wesley, Susan and Emma had said, no matter how hard I tried.

"I'm sorry, Richard," I whispered, turning away from him. "I just... I don't think I can trust you anymore."

There was silence for a moment, and then I heard him let out a shaky breath. "So that's it? After everything we've been through, you're just... walking away?"

I bit my lip, trying to keep the tears from falling. "I have to protect myself, Richard. I can't go through that kind of pain again."

Richard stood there, staring at me, his face a mixture of shock and heartbreak. "I never wanted to hurt you," he said softly. "I thought... I thought we were finally getting somewhere."

"I thought so too," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "But I can't keep living in fear of what might happen. I have to let you go."

And with that, I walked out of the office, my heart heavy but my mind made up. I didn't look back, didn't give him a chance to say anything else. I couldn't handle it any more.

By the time I got home, the weight of my decision had started to sink in. I collapsed on the couch, feeling drained. It was over. For real this time.

But then my phone buzzed.

A message from Wesley. You should listen to your heart, I don't want to see you hurt regardless of if we are in a relationship. He never deserved you.

I frowned at the screen, a strange feeling creeping up my spine. Wesley had been so supportive lately, always there to listen, always knowing the right thing to say.

But something about the way he said it now felt... off.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought. Maybe I was just paranoid. Everything had been so intense lately, and I was still reeling from the breakup.

Wesley was just trying to help.

Still, as I stared at the message, I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe something was wrong.

Later that night, I grabbed my phone to order pizza. Because, let's be honest, there's no better way to recover from a breakup than with a greasy slice of pepperoni.

I was scrolling through the options when another text from Wesley came through: Pizza's on me tonight.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Well," I muttered to myself, "at least someone's trying to make things easier."

Little did I know, things were about to get a whole lot messier.