Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 33

Fine. Just tell me what it is,” Briana replied without missing a beat. 

Her immediate agreement caught him off guard. “Aren’t you even going to ask what it is?” 

“No. Just say it,” she answered flatly. “If it’s within my power, I’ll do it. If it’s not, I’ll still try my best.” 

Shepard turned to face her, his gaze dark and inscrutable. “Seems you’re finally learning how this game is played.” 

“After everything I’ve lost and everything I’ve given up, if I hadn’t learned a thing or two by now, there’d be something seriously wrong with me.” 

Shepard’s tone was sharp. “What have you even lost? What have you given up?” 

As far as he was concerned, Briana had spent the last five years married to him, living in the lap of luxury. She was respected and had status. It should have been more than enough for her. 

And after the divorce, she’d gotten exactly what she deserved. She had tried to take what rightfully belonged to Vivian. Anyone stealing what didn’t belong to them had to pay the price. 

Briana let out a bitter laugh. “So, in your eyes, I came out on top, is that it? I spent five years putting you on a pedestal. Did I owe you that? No. I did it because I loved you. Because I wanted to.” 

“So you don’t love me anymore?” Shepard pressed. 

It didn’t matter to Briana now. She ignored the question and got back on track. “Let’s just talk about what we’re here for.” 

Shepard’s chin lifted slightly. “Once the divorce is final, I’m marrying Vivian.” 

“I know,” Briana replied. 

‘What does that have to do with me? He can marry whoever he wants. He can have a whole harem for all I care, she thought. 

“But Grandma won’t accept it,” Shepard stated. “So I need you to convince her. Get her to welcome Vivian into the family.” 

Briana paused, and then a slow, knowing smile spread across her face. So that’s the real play. “You’ll only release Charles if I convince her. Is that the deal?” 

“Yes,” Shepard confirmed. 

That was it. Shepard was clearing the road for Vivian, and since Briana was so desperate to save her brother, he’d use that desperation to get the job done. 

“Do you even have the nerve to agree to this, Briana?” Shepard asked, a mocking smile on his lips. “Well?” 

“I’ll do it,” Briana nodded. “But I can’t promise I’ll succeed. All I can promise is that I’ll give it my best shot.” 

Evelyn’s opinions weren’t something Briana could change with a few words. At her age, Evelyn was set in her ways and had no tolerance for women like Vivian, opportunists who swooped in out of nowhere, trying to wreck a home. 

In Evelyn’s eyes, Shepard and Briana had been promised to each other since childhood, the very picture of childhood sweethearts and a perfect match. As for Vivian, she had no business forcing her way in and trying to claim a place in the family. 

Shepard kept his hands clasped behind his back. “I can’t guarantee Charles will avoid jail this time either.” 

Briana shot up from the couch, furious. “You!” 

“Seems fair, doesn’t it?” Shepard said coolly. “If you can deliver, so can I.” 

Briana gritted her teeth. “Fine.” 

A faint smirk touched Shepard’s lips. 

“Even with Charles out of the picture, I’d still do everything I could to help you,” Briana said. “You’re so fixated on Vivian. I kind of hope you two make it, honestly.” 

Part of her wondered what would happen when they finally got what they wanted. Would they stay obsessed with each other, or would it all fall apart once real life set in? Love was one thing, but marriage was something else entirely. 

Shepard let out a mocking laugh. “Help us? Why didn’t you help five years ago?” 

“I was stupid then,” Briana admitted. 

“And now?” he pressed. 

検 

The words, “Right now, you’re the idiot,” flashed through her mind, but she held them back. No point in taking a cheap shot just to feel better. Pissing him off wouldn’t help her anyway. 

She grabbed the half–finished water and tossed it back in one go before pushing herself up from the couch. “Deal. Release Charles and send him home first.” 

“Fine,” Shepard said. “But what if you can’t convince Grandma?” 

Briana offered a faint smile. “Let’s be honest. What you really want is to marry Vivian. Once the divorce is finalized, I will make sure she is accepted.” 

After a pause, she continued, “But honestly, for a second marriage, there is really no need for a big, fancy wedding.” 

Realizing she might have overstepped, she simply shrugged and turned to leave. 

“Wait,” Shepard called out. 

Briana sighed, stopping in her tracks as she turned to face him. “What now?” 

“You think you can just come and go as you please?” Shepard’s voice was low. 

“What, you want me to stay for dinner?” she fired back. 

His expression darkened further. 

“Or maybe you want me to cook it for you, too?” she added, her tone sharp. 

He stayed silent, his gaze dark and unreadable, He couldn’t understand how Briana could be so detached. 

She was the one who had loved him desperately once, throwing herself at him no matter the cost. Now, she was walking away from their marriage as if it meant nothing, as if they had always been strangers. 

Briana met his eyes. After all this time, she could still read him. She tested the waters. “Shepard, is it just that you accept… that I don’t love you anymore?” 

Shepard’s lips pressed into a thin line.. 

She knew instantly, she’d nailed it. 

can’t 

“Yes, I don’t love you anymore,” Briana said, her voice steady. “The girl who orbited you and thought you were her whole world? She’s gone. When I loved you, I gave you everything. For seventeen years, I withheld nothing. I never let you down.” 

18:25 Fri, Dec 19 M 

Chapter 33 

Shepard was arrogant. He basked in the effort Briana poured into their marriage while dismissing her work around the house. He wanted her world to revolve around his, as long as it didn’t inconvenience his own. 

Now that she was truly walking away, he couldn’t stand it. The truth was, he simply hated losing control. 

“I know how to love, and I know when to walk away. Get used to it, Shepard. No one’s going to chase you forever, begging for scraps.” Briana took a few steps back, then turned and walked away. 

Her heart had been broken by Shepard so many times that she had gone numb. She couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. Now, the hurt, the regret, the heartbreak, that was all his to carry. Not hers. 

When had she stopped caring completely? Perhaps it was her birthday, when he left her to fly overseas for Vivian simply because Vivian claimed to have seen someone outside her window one night. 

He could ignore Briana for days, even a week, but he always found a moment between meetings to call Vivian. 

He knew everything about Vivian, down to her mango allergy. Yet after five years, he never bothered to learn a single thing about Briana. 

And that was only the beginning. The disappointments piled up, one by one, until one day the whole thing collapsed and there was simply no putting it back together. 

Shepard never moved from the window, just standing there in silence. 

Briana walked away, never once looking back. 

“Mr. Carter,” Daniel called out, his voice a little hesitant. “Mrs. Carter- 

“Mrs. Carter?” Shepard’s face darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes. “She isn’t ‘Mrs. Carter‘ anymore.” 

AD