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

Richard pov.

The cold, sterile environment of the police station did nothing to settle the unease that had been gnawing atsince Sarah's fall.

Sitting across from Isabelle in the small interrogation room only amplified it. She looked different-disheveled, almost feral-but her eyes still held that sunhinged intensity I remembered from before. Martins sat beside me, arms crossed, his body language radiating skepticism and disgust.

The officer standing by the door had warned us to keep the conversation civil, but I wasn't here to trade pleasantries.

"Why, Isabelle?" My voice was steady, but my hands clenched into fists under the table. "Why did you hurt Sarah?" She tilted her head, a slow, deliberate movement that made my skin crawl. Then, she smiled-a twisted, almost childlike grin.

"She wanted to take you from me," she said, her tone eerily calm.

I blinked, the sheer absurdity of her words momentarily robbingof speech. "Takefrom you? Isabelle, how many times do we have to tell you? I'm not your fiancé. I'm not David." Her smile faltered, and something dark flashed in her eyes. "You are," she whispered fiercely. "You just don't remember. They've poisoned you, made you forget who you really are. But I know you, Richard. I know your soul." Martins exhaled sharply beside me, muttering something under his breath. I ignored him, leaning forward to meet Isabelle's gaze.

"Listen tocarefully," I said, my voice low but firm. "I'm not David. I'm not the man you lost, and I never will be. I've told you this before. Sarah has nothing to do with your past-nothing. What you did to her was unforgivable." Her expression twisted, tears spilling down her cheeks as her voice rose. "You don't understand! She's turning you against me! Just like before. She's-" "Enough!" My voice cracked like a whip, and for the first time, she fell silent. "You hurt Sarah. You endangered our baby. You broke into our home. I want answers, Isabelle, and I want them now. Who helped you escape the hospital? How did you get past my security?" For a moment, I thought she wouldn't answer. Then, she smiled again, but this tit was different-smug, triumphant.

"You think you're so smart," she said. "But she letin. She knew the truth that Sarah stole you from me. She helped me." "Who?" I demanded, my patience hanging by a thread.

She laughed, a grating, hollow sound that made my stomach churn. "She gaveeverything I needed. The codes, the plan, the opportunity. That means you're ry my David who lost his memories in that accident." I stared at her, the implications of her words sinking in like a lead weight. I didn't have tto process it, though, because the officer by the door cleared his throat.

"Mr. Wright," he said, his tone measured. "We've reviewed the footage from the hospital. It appears a nurse helped her escape-a woman. But none of the nurses on staff match her description." Martins frowned, sitting up straighter. "What do you mean, none of them match?" The officer stepped forward, placing a tablet on the table and pulling up the footage.

The grainy video showed a woman in scrubs wheeling Isabelle out of the psychiatric hospital. Her face was partially obscured by a mask, but something about her seemed... familiar. "We're still trying to identify her," the officer continued. "But it's clear she wasn't a staff member. She may have been posing as one." I leaned closer, my heart sinking as recognition dawned. The slope of her nose, the way she moved-it all clicked into place.

"It's Susan," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Martins turned to me, his brow furrowed. "Susan? You mean-" "Yes." I swallowed hard, anger and disbelief warring within me. "It's her. I'd bet my life on it." The officer's eyes narrowed. "You're certain?" "Positive." My jaw tightened as I forced the words out. "She's the only one who would have access to the codes. I... I never changed them after I ended things with her." Martins let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "You're tellingshe had the access codes to your house this whole time? And you didn't think to change them?" "I didn't think she'd ever do something like this," I snapped, frustration bubbling over. "She was angry when we broke up, sure, but this? Helping Isabelle? It doesn't make sense." "Doesn't it?" Martins countered. "Think about it. She's been holding a grudge, watching from the sidelines as you moved on with Sarah. And then Isabelle comes along, feeding into whatever resentment she already had. It's a perfect storm." The officer nodded, taking notes. "We'll need to bring her in for questioning. Do you have a recent photo of her?" I pulled out my phone, scrolling through old messages until I found one. My stomach churned as I handed the phone over.

The photo showed Susan smiling at sevent we'd attended together years ago-a face that now seemed alien to me.

Back at the hospital, Sarah was still unconscious, our baby was fighting for her life, and now this-the betrayal of someone I had once trusted.

Zoe metin the hallway, her expression tense. "What happened?" she asked.

I hesitated, running a hand through my hair. "It was Susan," I said finally. "She's the one who helped Isabelle escape. She gave her the access codes to the house." Zoe's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. "Susan? Your ex?" I nodded, the words tasting bitter. "She must've been working with Isabelle for months, maybe longer. I should've seen it coming." "It's not your fault," she said firmly. "You couldn't have known." "Maybe not," I admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that Sarah and the baby are paying the price for my mistakes."

Zoe reached out, squeezing my arm.

"You didn't put that psycho in gum lives. Isabelle did that. And now, susan's just another piece of the puzzle. The police will handle it." I nodded, though her words did little to ease the guilt gnawing at me.

Hours later, Martins and I sat in the hospital cafeteria, the remnants of untouched coffee growing cold in front of us.

"You know," Martins said, breaking the silence, "this whole thing with Susan? It's not just about jealousy. There's more to it." I frowned, looking up from my cup. "What do you mean?" "She knew what she was doing, Richard. This wasn't sspur-of-the-moment decision. She planned it. She wanted to hurt you."

I shook my head, my hands tightening around the cup. "Whym now? Why not month.

gat months ago when I first got engaged to Sarah? Why wait until she's pregnant?" "Because she wanted maximum damage," Martins said bluntly. "And she got it." I leaned back in my chair. He wasn't wrong. Susan's actions had been calculated, designed to strike at the heart of everything I cared about.

But she hadn't won. Not yet.

I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "I need to get back to Sarah," I said.

Martins nodded, standing as well. "We'll figure this out, Richard. One step at a time."

As I walked back to Sarah's room, one thought consumed melom wouldn't let this destroy us. Not Sarah, not our baby, not our family.

Whatever it took, I'd make it right.