Chapter 63
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Richard immediately opened the photos, zoomed in, and examined them carefully, going over them several
times.
After confirming what he saw, he said, “Not all the photos online are just of Shepard and Vivian getting cozy together. Looks like Briana has her own secrets, too.”
Richard was ready to risk it all just to support Shepard’s divorce. But honestly, it wasn’t so much about backing Shepard as it was about backing his younger self.
If he was going to marry, it should have been the one he loved the most. Richard was doing it just to compete with Isabelle.
Briana was stunned for a moment. ‘Not innocent? Me?‘ Briana thought to herself.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Evelyn snapped, her brows knitting together. “I know Briana better than anyone.”
“Mom, see for yourself if I’m lying,” Richard said, handing her his phone.
Evelyn shot him a skeptical look before finally glancing at the screen. Isabelle leaned in for a look, too. When they saw the photos, both of them were caught off guard, then shared a surprised glance.
Richard said, “Shepard’s got Vivian, and looks like Briana’s got someone special too.”
Briana looked completely baffled. Richard flashed his phone screen for everyone to see.
In the gallery, Henry’s large hand rested on Briana’s head. They gazed into each other’s eyes, seeing only each other. The gallery became their backdrop.
Shepard’s scoff was especially sharp. “Briana, how are you going to explain this?” He almost forgot Briana had Henry by her side, too.
Just like Richard said, she really wasn’t as innocent as everyone thought. But the thing was, Shepard and Vivian had been together for years, never really breaking up. Meanwhile, Briana and Henry had only recently started getting close.
Most of the viral photos online were of Shepard and Vivian, so unless you really went digging, it was easy to overlook that classic head–touch moment between Henry and Briana.
Besides, compared to a kiss, his touching her head wasn’t exactly crossing any lines. That made sense. Isabelle said, “I feel like I’ve met him before. Where was it?”
“Henry was my senior at Aetherton University, and we worked together on the student council,” Briana explained. “We were classmates and friends. After I got married, I kind of lost touch with my college friends, but after the divorce, we reconnected.”
“Oh, I remember now,” Isabelle said. “Back when you and Shepard were both at Aetherton University, I visited you, and he was there too. He even greeted me, didn’t he?”
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Briana nodded. Isabelle asked, “So, what’s going on between you two now?”
“Just friends, Briana replied.
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“Just friends?” Shepard scoffed. “Guess you’re luckier than me. Only one photo of you and Henry made it online. So tell me, what were you two doing when nobody was watching?”
Briana fired right back. “Please, don’t act innocent. Whatever you and Vivian got up to off–camera was way wilder. Probably had to be censored for underage viewers.”
“Vivian and I are in love, but we actually have boundaries,” Shepard shot back.
Briana snorted, “Wow, first time hearing a player and his side chick talk about having morals.”
“And what about you and Henry?” Shepard pressed.
“Just friends,” Briana insisted. “Henry and I are just friends. If you don’t buy it, check all you want. If you find even the tiniest bit of flirtation between us, I’ll own up to cheating.”
Richard spoke up. “Still, that head–touch was crossing the line. Briana, you’re still Shepard’s wife.”
“Fine, if that’s how you want to see it, I won’t argue. Let’s just call it quits and go our separate ways,” Briana replied. Briana didn’t want to argue with Richard. He was an elder, after all.
She hadn’t come to the Carter residence to fight or smooth things over. She was here to let everyone know she and Shepard were getting divorced.
She was free now. She was no longer defined by the label of “Mrs. Carter.” She was Briana only.
Shepard nodded slightly. “I agree. Let’s get divorced.” They both agreed and parted ways peacefully.
Isabelle hesitated, words caught in her throat, but in the end, all she could do was sigh. Evelyn leaned on her cane, her face etched with sorrow.
“You all lied to me,” she said. “When I saw the news, I was still trying to figure out how to fix things, and now you all just went ahead and got divorced.
“Shepard and Vivian, and Briana’s got a suitor too. So what was all my hope for all these years? I waited five years just to see a great–grandchild. Was that really asking for too much? Is it really never going to happen?”
Evelyn murmured, her voice growing softer and more sorrowful. “Was I wrong from the very beginning? 1 shouldn’t have forced them into that childhood engagement. If I hadn’t meddled, none of this would have happened.
“I even sent Tiffany to help Briana get healthy for a baby, all those herbal remedies I had made.”
As she spoke, Evelyn’s cloudy eyes slowly lifted to meet Briana’s. “Did you drink them all?”
Briana couldn’t bring herself to look at Evelyn. She lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Grandma Evelyn.”
She took them to the gallery and poured them out.
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Evelyn opened her mouth to say something, but before she could get a word out, she suddenly just toppled
over.
Richard and Isabelle freaked out and rushed over.
“Mom,” Richard shouted.
“Evelyn,” Isabelle cried out.
Richard was the first to catch Evelyn as she fell. Evelyn’s eyes were closed, her lips pale. She looked like she’d passed out.
People always thought Evelyn would only faint if she got worked up or angry, but nobody expected her to suddenly pass out while speaking so peacefully.
She was so overwhelmed that all her emotions stayed bottled up inside, unable to find any release.
“Grandma Evelyn,” Briana cried out. She felt a wave of panic. If anything happened to Evelyn, Briana knew she’d carry the guilt for the rest of her life.
She quickly dialed emergency services. The ambulance rushed over, and the Carter residence instantly turned into a madhouse. Everyone was panicking and running around like headless chickens.
Eric was tucked away behind the rock garden at the Carter residence, watching everything go down.
Just as he’d hoped. He’d known for ages that Shepard and Briana were all for show, and he didn’t need Vivian to say a word.
His goal was to make sure everyone saw just how broken things were between them. So broken that divorce was the only option. Only then would Vivian finally have her chance.
Vivian was his precious, and he was hell–bent on personally wiping out every obstacle between her and becoming Mrs. Carter.
Step one was a success. Eric flashed a smug grin and slipped back behind the rockery.
At the hospital, the doctor said, “The patient is elderly, has a bunch of health issues, and honestly, her condition is a mess right now. It’s not looking good at all.”
The attending doctor stood at the operating room door, his face grim. “You all need to brace yourselves. We might have to hand out a notice that she’s in critical condition any minute,” he warned.
Richard’s face went pale. “Is it really that serious?”
“Yes, her numbers are all over the place right now,” the doctor replied. “But don’t worry, we’re
