Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 40

Chapter 40 

Everything seemed normal. Except for the mess. 

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Tiffany pondered, ‘The clothes Mr. Carter wore during the day are scattered across the floor, and Mrs. Carter is lying in bed without a stitch on. Guess I walked in on something.‘ She gave a knowing smile. 

Briana shrank even further under the covers, trying to hide herself. She waited until Tiffany left, then pulled the covers back, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. The heat had been stifling. 

She got out of bed, saw the hot chocolate, and picked it up. She thought, ‘Since Tiffany brought it all the way here, no point letting it go to waste. And I’m thirsty anyway.’ 

But just as she wanted to take a sip, Shepard grabbed her wrist, stopping her. 

Shepard frowned and said, “Don’t drink it.” 

Briana shot back, “What are you doing? Why don’t you let me drink it?” 

“You sure you should be drinking that? Use your head,” Shepard said, frowning. 

Briana blinked in confusion. She asked, “Why can’t I?” She thought, ‘Come on. It’s not like Tiffany would spike it.‘ She paused, the mug halfway to her lips. She thought, ‘Wait, did she?‘ 

She gasped, her hand shook, and a bit of chocolate splashed onto the back of her hand. 

“Evelyn already pulled this stunt before. How do you still get caught by it?” Shepard said, taking the chocolate 

away. 

He paused, then snorted, “Oh, right. For you, it’s not a trap; it’s practically a treat.” 

That was exactly how Briana ended up spending the night with Shepard for the first time. And that was how she got pregnant with his child. She lost the baby before they could even hear a heartbeat, but it had only 

taken that one time. 

“Are you and Evelyn trying the same old trick again?” Shepard asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Briana just wanted to roll her eyes; she didn’t want to waste her breath on him. So she turned away to grab her blanket and pillow from the closet. 

But Shepard stepped right in front of her, blocking her way. He pressed, “Or is it that you want to drink the chocolate, end up burning up with desire, and then come crawling to me for relief?” 

Briana was so pissed that she could barely hold back the urge to throw the chocolate right in his face. 

She snapped, “Get over yourself. Let me say this one more time, Shepard. I had no clue Evelyn drugged me back then. I never wanted to give away my first time like that. 

“And for the record, I wasn’t thinking about any of that just now. I was just thirsty, okay? Now that you’ve warned me, I won’t drink it. I’ll just dump it in the toilet tomorrow morning and destroy the evidence. 

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“And one more thing, even if I did get drugged, I’d just call up a male escort before I’d ever come crawling to you. It’s not like every other man on earth is dead and you’re the only cure.” 

Shepard’s eyes were deep and unreadable. He honestly couldn’t tell if Briana had really stopped loving him, or if she was just putting on an act. But if he had to guess, he’d bet she was faking it. 

He thought, ‘Nobody moves on that fast. He was just about to say something when he heard some shuffling noises by the door. 

Briana heard the noises, too. She swallowed hard and mouthed, “Who is it?” 

“Tiffany,” Shepard whispered back. 

Of course, it was Tiffany. 

The second floor was a private area. Aside from the regular cleaning staff, nobody else could come up here unless they were invited. 

But Tiffany was still hanging around outside the door, sneaking around like she was up to something. 

Briana thought, ‘Seriously? Tiffany is obviously eavesdropping.‘ She looked at Shepard. 

Shepard met her gaze, holding it. 

After locking eyes for a couple of seconds, Shepard reached out and tilted Briana’s chin up. He asked, “Can you moan?” 

Briana asked, “Moan what?” 

Shepard replied, “Moan in bed.” 

Briana’s cheeks flushed as she realized what he meant. She coughed and said, “I can fake it. I’ll try to make it convincing.” 

Shepard gave a low hum and said, “Go ahead. Let’s hear you.” 

Briana thought, ‘So… this is it? No practice?‘ She hesitated for a couple of seconds, then climbed onto the bed, scooted up to the headboard, and dug her fingers into it, bracing herself. 

Shepard stood at the side, planting one foot firmly on the bed frame, and started shaking the bed with some real force. 

The mattress creaked, the headboard banged against the wall, and then came Briana’s moans. All those sounds mingled together. 

Briana moaned, and the instant the sound left her lips, her cheeks instantly flushed. She thought, ‘God, this is mortifying. Just kill me now. 

And of course, Shepard was watching her the whole time. She could feel his gaze. She just couldn’t bring herself to moan. 

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Shepard said, “Keep going. Don’t stop.” 

Briana said, “But I sound so fake.” 

Shepard was totally unfazed. He said, “Just do it a few more times. It’ll sound real soon.” 

Briana’s face was so red that it looked like it could bleed. She was so mortified she couldn’t make another sound. 

Shepard stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned in, grabbed her ankle, and yanked her toward 

him. 

Briana let out a startled cry, and before she knew it, she was pulled right into Shepard’s arms. 

He placed his hands on either side of her, their noses brushing. 

Shepard narrowed his eyes and said, “Briana, put on a good show, or I might just turn this act into the real deal.” 

Briana replied coolly, “You won’t.” 

She thought, ‘There’s no way he’d ever lay a finger on me. He can’t stand me.‘ 

Sleeping next to him was uncomfortable, but at least she knew he wouldn’t actually do anything. 

Shepard let out a cold laugh and said, “Let’s put that to the test.” He reached out and slid his hand right inside her shirt. 

Briana’s eyes flew wide, and she desperately grabbed his wrist with both hands. She shouted, “Stop!” She realized he was serious. 

Shepard’s voice was low and dangerous as he pressed, “Tell me, do you really think I won’t actually do it?” 

Briana bit down hard on her lip. Then she said, “Fine, I’ll moan. I’ll do it right now.” 

Just a moment ago, Briana was all coy and hesitant, but now she dropped all pretenses and just went for it. After all, she knew perfectly well where to draw the line between putting on an act and actually doing the real thing. 

She turned her head away, not daring to meet Shepard’s gaze, shut her eyes tight, and threw caution to the wind. 

Five minutes later, Tiffany left, beaming from ear to ear. 

Shepard stood up by the bed, smirked, and said, “Not bad.” 

Briana’s throat was so dry that it felt like it might catch fire. She didn’t even spare him a glance, just started to 

climb out of bed. 

But Shepard grabbed her by the collar and hauled her right back onto the bed. He asked, “Where do you think you’re going?” 

Briana replied, “The closet. My blanket and pillow are still lying on the floor. Those are the things I actually sleep with. I can’t leave them on the floor.” 

Shepard asked, “Thinking about crashing on the couch again?” 

He thought, ‘Is she really that desperate to avoid sleeping next to me? Come on, we have been sharing a bed for five years straight.‘ 

Briana scoffed, “Or what, you want me to sleep next to you? Please, I’d probably have nightmares.” 

Shepard leaned in, locking eyes with her. He said, “You’re sleeping right here, next to me.” 

“You…” Briana protested, but was cut off. 

“That’s final!” Shepard said, his tone leaving no room for argument. 

Shepard thought, ‘Tiffany isn’t about to leave Carter Villa anytime soon, and she might drop in on the master bedroom whenever she feels like it. She could easily walk in one day and catch Briana crashing out on the couch. 

‘So, if we want to avoid getting caught like that, sleeping apart just isn’t realistic. 

That night, Briana was clinging to the very edge of the bed, so close that if she so much as turned over, she’d fall right off. 

It was like a canyon split the bed in two, keeping Briana and Shepard worlds apart. 

***** 

Come morning, sunlight flooded the garden at Carter Estate, the grass lush and green, full of life. 

The servants were all busy with their own tasks. 

Daniel and Tiffany were busy putting together Briana’s meal plan. 

One of the security guards suddenly reported, “Daniel, Ms. Fletcher is here.” 

Daniel paused, instinctively glancing over at Tiffany. 

Nobody at Carter Estate batted an eye at Vivian’s visits anymore. But Tiffany wasn’t really one of Carter Estate’s own. She was Evelyn’s loyal follower. 

Tiffany asked, “Ms. Fletcher? Which one? Don’t tell me it’s Vivian?” 

Tiffany had heard Evelyn talk about Vivian, who nearly ruined Shepard and Briana’s marriage all by herself. 

The guard nodded and said, “Yeah.” 

Vivian hopped out of her car, grabbed the thermos box, and headed for the villa with a spring in her step. The breakfast inside was one she’d whipped up for Shepard herself. She thought, ‘I can’t wait for him to try it.‘ 

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