Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 5

Chapter 5 

Chapter 5 

Evelyn lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to am IV and wearing an even mask. When the heart commeome coming, she called out weakly, “te that Briana? is it your 

“Grandma” Brian hurried over to the bed and took Evelyn’s hand. “I’s me. I’m here in are you? 

Evelyn’s eyes grew clearer as she looked at Briana. Then she smiled at Briana with warmth ‘Seeing you puts my heart at ease.” 

“Grandma, I’m always around. If you want to see me, just say the word, and I’ll be here in a flash Varie replied. “Please take good care of yourself and live a long, long life? 

“As long as I live to see you have a baby so I’ll get to hold my great–grandchild in my arms, my we will be complete,” Evelyn said. 

Briana’s eyelashes trembled. 

a look 

“It’s been five years already. Shouldn’t there be some news about a baby bump by now? Wartyn dinl at Shepard, “You hear that, you brat?” 

Shepard stayed silent. 

“I’m talking to you. You…” Evelyn broke into a fit of coughing, her face turning, red, 

Briana quickly helped Evelyn steady her breathing Should I really tell her the truth? 11 Grande finds cont we’ve already filed for divorce and are just waiting to end things, would she be to sucked that dw’d end up in the ER? Briana wondered. 

Just as Briana was lost in thought, the familiar hint of mint hit her none. Shepard reached over, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her a little closer into his embrace, 

“Briana and I have been trying for a baby lately” Shepard said. “If all goes well, we’ll have some good new 

soon.” 

Evelyn’s face lit up as if she’d just taken a miracle cure, “Really?” 

“Really,” Shepard said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He leaned in, his breath warm against Priend’s ear voice low and playful, “Grandma, if you don’t believe me, just ask Briana? 

Evelyn’s eyes crinkled with delight. “I knew you two were meant to be together over ten years ago, so l it up early. See? I really do have good taste? 

Briana smiled along. “That’s right. If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve ended up toypher 

“That’s great, really,” Evelyn laughed and nodded, looking totally pleased. “Turns out making you 190 spend the night together last time was the right move. 

“Things tend to get worked out in the bedroom, you know. Sure, my tricks were a little sneaky, but hey, as long as they worked, that’s what counts” 

Because the two were standing so close, Briana caught Shepard’s barely audible, cold won. He will thought Evelyn was the one who drugged them, while Briana was the one who came up with the whole 

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Chapter 5 

scheme. 

Shepard thought, ‘She really knows how to pretend she’s all innocent and sweet. 

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Briana used to fight tooth and nail to explain herself, but he never believed her anyway. Now, she’d given up trying. ‘Whatever. Let him think what he wants,‘ she thought. 

Evelyn suddenly remembered something. “Oh, and Shepard, that girl named Vivi or what… I heard she’s back in Belaris.” 

“Probably,” Shepard replied. 

Now it was Briana’s turn to scoff quietly. ‘Probably? He went to the airport to pick her up himself and didn’t come home all night,‘ she sneered in her mind. 

‘They probably spent the whole night wrapped up in each other, Briana told herself, refusing to let her mind wander any further, her eyes lowered. 

Evelyn’s tone turned serious. “You need to keep your distance from that girl. You’re a married man now. Sure, she saved your life, and our family owes her, but we’ve looked after her all these years. We’ve more than repaid her kindness. 

“And don’t even think about getting any funny ideas, Shepard. As long as I’m alive, she’s not getting anywhere near our family. You and Briana need to live your lives together. Don’t let her sly ways mess with your head.” 

Shepard replied with a grunt. “There’s nothin 

going on between us.” 

Evelyn nodded, chatted for a while, then took her medicine and lay down to sleep. 

Shepard and Briana stepped out and stood face to face. Despite being husband and wife, the distance between them felt vast and unbridgeable. 

“Grandma’s got a heart condition. She can’t take any kind of shock,” Shepard said. “So we have to keep the divorce a secret from her, at least for now.” 

“How long do you plan to keep this up?” Briana asked. 

“Depends on how things go,” Shepard replied. 

Briana blinked. “Secrets always have a way of coming out.” 

Shepard frowned, clearly annoyed. “Since when did you start telling me how to handle things?” 

“Shepard, why do I always have to bend over backwards for you?” Briana shot back. “You expect me to just go along with whatever you say, no questions asked? What, if you say jump, I’ll have to say ‘how high“?” 

He grew even more impatient. “Hasn’t it always been this way between us?” 

Seventeen years had passed since they first met. She was just ten back then, now twenty–seven, and Shepard was already thirty. 

That was how things had always been for seventeen years, so when Briana finally started standing up to him, it threw Shepard completely off. 

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Briana gave a bitter smile. “Yeah, it’s always been like this. But does that make it right? Shepard, I’m a living, breathing person, not just some puppet for you to control.” 

“Why didn’t you ever say this before?” Shepard shot back. 

“Because I loved you,” Briana replied. “But now? I don’t anymore.” 

She was no longer the so–called Mrs. Carter orbiting around Shepard. She was Briana, and she was taking charge of her own life. 

An indescribable feeling flooded Shepard’s chest, but he suppressed it. ‘Love? Hers never mattered to me,’ he thought, dismissing her words. 

He spoke, his voice cold and unyielding, “Whether you love me or not, you still have to do as I say, Briana.” 

“And what if I just don’t?” Briana shot back. 

He gave a careless laugh, tilting her chin up with a finger. “You want to go up against me? You’re not even close.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Briana asked. 

“I know exactly what you’ve been up to lately,” Shepard said, arching a brow. “All it takes is one word from me, and no one in Belaris would dare do business with you. Believe it or not.” 

Briana thought, ‘Of course, I do. Shepard’s the kind of big shot everyone in Belaris bends over backwards for. Nobody in their right mind would mess with him.’ 

Honestly, Briana wouldn’t say a word about the divorce for Evelyn’s health. But what she really couldn’t stand was Shepard’s cold, commanding attitude. He was always acting like he was above everyone else. 

She’d spent years obeying his every word. Now, she was determined to push back and break free. 

Briana gritted her teeth. “Shut me out then. If you do, I’ll raise hell at the Carter residence and stir up trouble at Carter Group. When you’ve got nothing to lose, you’re not afraid of anything. Let’s see who comes out looking worse, you or me.” 

Shepard’s voice turned cold and threatening. “Briana, don’t even think about risking your life.” 

She’d always been the obedient one, but now she was a rose with thorns. Shepard couldn’t get used to this wild, defiant side of her. He hated the feeling that he couldn’t keep her under control anymore. 

Briana slapped his hand away and turned her head, but then she caught a glimpse of a weird clash of colors. Looking closer, she realized the colors and patterns of Shepard’s shirt and tie totally clashed. 

He was wearing a gray shirt, which should’ve matched with a tie in a similar or darker shade. But today, he’d picked a light blue tie, and to top it off, he had on a black suit. 

Briana frowned. ‘Who put this outfit together for him? Without me, he’s just grabbing whatever’s handy, huh?‘ she thought. 

All these years, Briana had taken care of everything for Shepard–his clothes, his meals, his whole routine. And now, she’d only been gone a few days, yet he was wearing such a weird outfit. 

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