Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 139

Chapter 139 

Briana shifted slightly and looked up at him. 

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The warm glow of the bedside lamp softened his features, making him look less sharp than he did during the day. 

“If you help me rescue my brother and make sure he gets home afe, then whatever you want from me, just name it. If I can do it. I will.” Briana said. 

Shepard nodded without hesitation. “Deal.” 

He’d been waiting for her to say those words. 

If he took the initiative to help, he’d end up with nothing, and she wouldn’t even remember his kindness. 

At his core, Shepard was still a businessman. 

“Just say it,” Briana said, her voice steady. “What do you want from me?” 

Shepard’s hair was still damp, a few loose strands falling over his forehead and partly covering his eyes. 

He said, “I want you to abort the baby you’re carrying.” 

Briana never expected him to say that. 

She stared at him, completely stunned, forgetting to even blink. 

Shepard’s voice was calm. “Let’s trade this kid’s life for your brother’s. Fair deal, right, Briana?” 

Briana felt a chill run through her entire body. 

Shepard continued, “You can think it over carefully. You’ve got three days. Make sure you really think about it.” 

If she agreed to abort the baby, Shepard would act immediately to save Charles. 

He wouldn’t stall for a moment. 

Briana lifted her hand and rested it on her belly. 

“You really know how to make a deal,” Briana said. “Shepard, how do you expect me to choose?” 

‘If I save my brother, I’ll lose the baby,‘ Briana thought. 

She’d always refused to abort the baby, even saying she’d rather die than go through with it. After that, Shepard never brought it up again. 

She thought he’d finally accepted it. 

But in reality, he’d never let it go. He’d just been waiting for the perfect moment to make her choose the abortion herself. 

Suddenly, it hit Briana. 

She shot to her feet, eyes wide in shock. “Don’t tell me.” 

Briana hesitated; the rest of her words stuck in her throat. 

Shepard raised an eyebrow. “What are you trying to say?” 

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“This is all your setup,” Briana said, her voice sharp. “You made sure my brother got trapped in gambling debt, just so I’d have to beg you for help. Shepard, you’ve been playing me from the start.” 

Shepard let out a cold chuckle. 

‘She’s really reaching. Shepard thought. 

“I don’t have the time or patience for that,” Shepard replied. “I warned you before to keep an eye on Charles, remember?” 

Briana bit her lip. 

Was I wrong about him?‘ Briana thought. 

But she couldn’t stop herself from doubting him. 

‘He totally had the skills to pull something like this off, Briana thought. 

“So, was it those friends of my brother who set him up?” Briana asked. “If they did, they wouldn’t just get him into gambling debt. There’s gotta be more to it.” 

But Briana had never had anything to do with Charles’s friends. 

She had no clue who he spent his days with or what he was doing. 

Shepard lounged against the headboard, chin tilted up. “You’d better get Charles out of there fast. Every day you drag this out, he suffers more. Do you really think those people at the casino are harmless? That place chews people up.” 

His words made her skin crawl. 

Then he added, “If you wait too long, they might start shooting Charles up with drugs. The kind that gets him hooked for life. Briana, I don’t want to get too graphic. I don’t want to freak you out.” 

She was way too naive to know about that kind of stuff. 

But Briana was already freaked out. 

Briana was quiet for a long moment before she barely managed to ask, “If you step in, how long will it take to get Charles out?” 

“Just an hour,” Shepard said. 

Anything longer would be a slap in the face to his abilities. 

Briana closed her eyes, unable to look Shepard in the eye anymore. 

“If I get rid of the baby, I’ll have nothing left. But if I lose my brother, I won’t have any family at all,” Briana muttered. 

“Shepard, we both know we won’t grow old together. Sooner or later, we’re going to get a divorce. Why are you pushing me to this extreme? What good does it do you if I lose the child? Besides,” Briana said. 

“This is your kid,’ Briana thought, the realization hitting her hard 

It seemed like Briana only had one option left. 

She had to tell Shepard that the baby was his, not Henry’s. 

That was the only way she could save her brother and keep the baby. 

But if she did that, the baby would never be hers to raise. 

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Chapter 139 

No matter what, she was screwed. There was no perfect choice. 

Shepard shot back, “Who says we can’t grow old together? 

Briana’s eyes flew open, locking onto Shepard’s deep gaze. 

What is he even saying? 

Is he actually saying he wants to be with me for the rest of our lives? 

What about Vivian? Is he done with her or what? 

‘And Vivian’s baby? Is he just gonna give up on that one, too? 

Is Shepard out of his mind or what? Briana thought, completely stunned. 

“Briana, as long as you get rid of the baby, I’ll not only save Charles, I’ll also make Vivian get rid of hen, too, Shepard said “Pretty sweet deal for you, huh?” 

She just had to do one thing. 

He’d do two in return. 

“That was pretty damn sincere, and more than fair, right?‘ he thought. 

Briana was so shocked she couldn’t believe what she was hearing 

“Are you serious? You’re saying you don’t want Vivian’s baby?” she asked, her voice trembling 

“Yes,” Shepard said. 

“Why?” Briana demanded. 

‘Did he finally realize that the baby Vivian’s carrying might not even be his? Briana wondered, her heart pounding. 

When Olivia had her suspicions that Vivian was actually pregnant with Eric’s child, Briana wasn’t totally convinced. 

After all, it was just a guess. 

But when Shepard swore up and down that he and Vivian only hooked up because they were both drunk that night, Briana started to think Olivia might be right. 

The odds of getting pregnant from just one night were way too low. 

And Vivian had been getting really close with Eric lately. 

Vivian was the kind of woman who’d stoop that low. Nothing was beneath her. 

But instead, Shepard replied, “I want to grow old with you.” 

Briana’s ears buzzed, and her mind went completely blank. She couldn’t think straight at all. 

‘Wait. Is he actually confessing to me?‘ she thought, her heart pounding. 

Getting a guy like Shepard to say anything romantic was next to impossible. 

Briana had known him for ages, and the only time he’d ever said something like that was the day they made things official 

Briana’s heart started pounding uncontrollably. 

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Chapter 139 

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Lately, Shepard had been acting off. She was constantly on edge walking on eggshells, with her mind set on getting divorced, uncovering the truth and evidence about Vivian’s arson, and finally breaking free from him for good. 

But meanwhile, he was actually thinking about spending forever with her. 

“Why?” Briana pressed, her voice shaking as she stared at him. “Why do you want to spend your whole life with me?” 

Back then, Briana was the one who wanted forever. 

Shepard only married her because he had no choice. 

“Briana,” he said, sitting up as the blanket slid off his chest. “Why else would I?” 

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