Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 15

Pain radiated through Briana’s entire body, making it impossible to tell which part hurt the worst. All she could do was lie there and watch Shepard. 

Shepard was faster. He pressed down on her hand, pulled out the IV line, and immediately rang for the 

doctor. 

A doctor arrived promptly. 

An uneasy hush fell over the hospital room, and no one broke the silence. 

The doctor worked in silence, resetting the IV. “Please try to keep still,” he said quietly. 

Briana nodded weakly. “Thanks,” she breathed out, her voice barely audible. 

After the doctor left, Briana and Shepard were alone again. 

Briana kept her eyes downcast. Not knowing what was going on, she decided silence was her best defense. 

“Speechless?” Shepard stood beside the hospital bed, his presence filling the space as he looked down at her. “Briana, I must say, you continue to exceed my expectations.” 

A flicker of panic ran through her. His tone left no doubt that he knew, though she could not understand how he had found out. 

Outwardly, she remained composed. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, her voice steady. “I just had surgery. I’m tired, and I don’t have the energy for this.” 

Shepard’s mouth twisted into a humorless smile. “Still keeping up the act?” 

When she stayed silent, he continued, “Let me guess. You hid the surgery consent form in with the divorce papers. The ones I signed.” 

Seeing there was no use denying it now, she admitted softly, “Yes.” 

Her quiet confession only made his anger burn hotter. “I should have torn up those divorce papers on the spot,” he said, the words clipped with frustration. “I never should have let you walk away.” 

“So what if you know?” Briana asked. “What difference does it make now?” 

“When did you find out about the pregnancy?” Shepard’s tone was tight. 

“That doesn’t matter anymore, Shepard.” 

The tables had turned between them. 

She remembered being the one who used to beg for even a scrap of his affection, while he met her pleas with cold indifference. 

Now, he was the one whose anger showed in the tense line of his jaw, while she remained quiet and composed. 

A grim sense of satisfaction settled within her. ‘Good,’ she thought. ‘Now he knows how it felt to be the one 

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* 

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That comes but is beartbeat, so it was going to survive anyway. Keeping it would have put her health 

der baby at risk 

“You were crying my child Shopsud said, his voice right with accusation. “What right did you have to make the choice ” 

sed, but then stopped as a new thought occurred to her 

She could tell from his tone that he thought sheld simply ended the pregnancy on purpose. 

He seemed 

to know about the twins. Sheld only lost the one that never had a heartbeat, but the other was still there growing inside her 

Bormind was spamming, but she took a slow breath, forcing herself to stay calm. 

Until he said it out loud, she wouldn’t give herself away 

She finally met his gaze. “That might we agreed to divorce, you made yourself clear. You said you’d never want a child with me. You hated me too much for that” 

Yes Shepard said, his voice that. “You’re not fit to be the mother of my child.” 

“Then you should be relieved,” she said, a bitter smile tugging at her lips, “Why the outrage? It’s better this way. If your precious Vivian hears about it, she’ll just cause another scene, and you’ll have to spend all night smoothing things over 

Shepard’s stare was icy “Listen, Briana. If that pregnancy was going to end, it would have been my decision. I would’ve taken you there myself. I would’ve seen it through. Is that clear enough?” 

“Well Briana’s voice was a slow, weary drawl. “So I overstepped. My mistake. But you’re still the same controlling man you’ve always been, Shepard. Honestly, I don’t know how I ever tolerated you.” 

She finally understood how love could blind a person. Now, her vision was clearing at last. 

She closed her eyes, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. “I’m tired. Ljust want to sleep. The baby’s gone. You never wanted it anyway. What’s the point of fighting? Save your energy for Vivian. She’s the one you care about, 

Briana looked frail, her skin almost translucent. She’d just lost a child, and her body needed time. The doctor had ordered a few quiet days in the hospital to let her heal. 

Slowly, she shifted against the pillow, settling back into the bed as though the effort cost her everything. 

Shepard wasn’t about to let her go. He caught her free hand, the one without the IV, and pulled her up. 

“Is this how it’s going to be, Briana?” he said, his voice tight. 

“What else did you expect, Shepard?” she shot back. 

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His grip was so tight that she thought her wrist might break, but she didn’t make a sound. 

His gaze was dark, his voice low. “You used to be different. You’ve changed. 

“I’ve become exactly what you wanted,” she said, her smile thin and cold. “You wanted the divorce. You wanted me gone. 

“You want Vivian here instead. You told me you hated the way I loved you, and that it was weak and pathetic.” 

She remembered every word he’d said, and she couldn’t understand why he looked so angry now that she was finally giving him what he’d asked for. 

“You know, Shepard,” she continued, “if I’d had your baby, my place in the family would’ve been set for life. You never would’ve been able to walk away from me. 

“And look how easy I’m making this for you, I didn’t fight the divorce. I didn’t keep the baby. So why aren’t you happy? Isn’t this what you wanted all along?” 

The careless way she spoke and the look on her face as if none of it mattered only made the anger inside him burn brighter. 

His expression turned so dark that for a moment, Briana thought he might actually try to kill her. 

She couldn’t understand him. He didn’t love her, and a child with her had never been part of his plan. Losing the baby should have been exactly what he wanted, a clean solution for them both, but he still pressed her with this relentless anger. 

“You did this for him, didn’t you?” Shepard’s voice was ice. “You ended it so you could be with Henry. He’d never touch you if you were still carrying my child.” 

That was the thought that ate at him, the real source of his rage. 

She almost had to laugh at how wrong he was. 

After a pause, a slow, knowing smile spread across her face. ‘If that’s what he thought… well, I can play along and turn the knife a little,’ she thought. 

“You caught me,” she said, shrugging with mock defeat. “Exactly, Shepard. You’re too smart for your own good, and that’s a dangerous thing.” 

She leaned in, her voice dropping to a taunting whisper. “I ended it on purpose. Why would I ever have your child? If I want a baby, it’ll be Henry’s.” 

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AD