Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 49

Chapter 49 

Briana thought to herself, ‘Does it hurt? Yes, it does. But it is nothing compared to the raw, bleeding wound in my heart.‘ 

Shepard had been cutting her heart to pieces for five years straight. 

So this pain didn’t even matter. 

“Just because Grandma’s got your back, do you think you can do as you please in front of me? Running wild without a care?” Shepard’s eyes were blazing with anger. “Briana, I’ve spoiled you too much.” 

Briana sneered, thinking, ‘Spoil me? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.’ 

Shepard’s voice cut through the silence. “First thing tomorrow, you’re going to apologize to Vivian. You can’t leave this hospital until she says she forgives you.” 

“No way,” Briana shot back without a second thought. 

Shepard slammed his hand down on the desk. “Are you going or not?” 

“I’m not going.” Briana snapped, bent down, grabbed the folder off the floor, and chucked it right back at Shepard. 

Briana scoffed to herself, ‘Does he think he’s the only one who can throw stuff? 

‘Does he think I don’t have hands? That I can’t do it too?‘ 

Briana put all her strength into it. 

But Shepard dodged at the last second, and the folder flew straight into the bookshelf behind him. 

With a loud bang, the bookshelf’s glass shattered. 

Cracks spread across it like a spiderweb, dense and jagged. 

Shepard looked like he was about to explode, his eyes blazing with fury. “Briana!” 

“I’m right here. No need to shout my name,” she snapped back. “And Shepard, men who hit women are the most pathetic losers. I can’t believe I wasted seventeen years on a piece of garbage like you.” 

‘I must’ve been blind, she thought bitterly. 

Shepard walked around the desk, his steps quick and determined as he headed straight for her. But just then, someone knocked on the door. 

“Mr. Carter, Mrs. Carter,” Tiffany called from outside the door. “Are you guys… fighting in there?” 

With all that racket, Tiffany had been listening in for a while. 

Briana bit her lip and spun around to open the door without hesitation. 

She was done with it. 

She thought, ‘Let’s just lay it all out on the table. Let’s just say it straight. 

‘Why the hell should I keep swallowing this humiliation? 

‘We’re divorced, and yet every damn night I am stuck sharing a bed with my ex.’ 

Just as Briana’s hand was about to close around the doorknob, Shepard grabbed her hard by the collar 

from behind and yanked her back, stopping her in her tracks. 

Briana looked up, locking eyes with Shepard, whose gaze burned with fury. 

1/4 

18:23 

Love Burnt, Baby Stayed 

55 vouchers 

“What do you think you’re doing?” he snarled, his presence looming over her, voice low and menacing. Briana shot back, “Why do you think I’d go see Tiffany right now? What do you think I’d say to her?” 

“Is that a threat?” Shepard growled. 

“If that’s how you want to take it,” Briana replied coolly. 

Shepard clenched his jaw, his voice tight with frustration. “Briana, I really sold you short before.” 

Briana smirked. “Guess it’s not too late for you to finally figure it out.” 

She shot back, and without missing a beat, reached for the door again. 

“Don’t you dare,” Shepard snarled, letting go of her collar only to grab her by the throat. “Briana, don’t you want a divorce?” 

Briana shouted, her voice raw with fury, “I want that divorce so badly that I dream about it every damn night.” 

“If Grandma learns of this, it won’t just be anger. It’ll devastate her,” Shepard urged, his voice low. “She’d never consent to a divorce, and the cooling–off period still stands. Do you want to throw all our efforts away now?” 

Briana deflated, all the fight draining out of her. 

As long as they kept it under wraps, the divorce was just their little secret, a deal between her and Shepard. 

They could go public when the time was right. 

But if word got out and both families caught wind of it, divorce would be off the table for good. 

“Mr. Carter, Mrs. Carter?” Tiffany called out again. “Are you two alright?” 

Shepard called out coldly toward the door, “This is none of your business. Stay out of it.” 

“But I heard all that banging and crashing, Mr. Carter,” Tiffany said, her voice full of concern. 

Shepard shot Briana a look. 

Briana took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before calling out, “It’s nothing, Tiffany. We were just messing around.” 

“Really, Mrs. Carter?” Tiffany asked, still sounding unconvinced. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Briana replied. 

“Alright,” Tiffany said, “but if anything happens, just let me know right away.” 

“Okay,” Briana replied. 

With that, Tiffany finally walked away from the doorway. 

Shepard’s grip on Briana’s throat didn’t loosen. 

What Shepard hadn’t counted on was that the only reason Briana played along and covered for him with Tiffany wasn’t out of concern for Evelyn’s health. It was because she was scared that she might never get her divorce. 

Shepard wondered, ‘Have seventeen years of loving me really just disappeared, like they never even happened? Why?‘ 

Suddenly, Henry’s face popped into Shepard’s mind. 

‘Oh… I almost forgot that Briana had moved on to someone else, Shepard thought. 

The day they got divorced, as soon as they walked out of the courthouse, Henry was waiting for her by the 

curb. 

2/4 

18:23 

Love Burnt, Baby Stayed 

55 vouchers 

When she wanted to take over Charles’s business, Henry was right there, pulling strings and making sure everything went smoothly for her. 

When she decided to open a gallery, Henry was at her beck and call, doing whatever she needed. 

With someone new who was completely devoted to her, her ex wasn’t even worth a glance. 

Shepard’s jealousy was boiling over, churning so hard inside him that it felt like he could explode any second. 

Shepard scoffed, thinking, ‘Jealous? What am I even jealous about? 

‘No way, that’s not jealousy. 

‘It’s just anger, frustration, sarcasm, and utter contempt. 

‘All that grand talk of love from Briana turns out to be this shallow.’ 

When Briana caught Shepard staring at her with those dark, intense eyes, she felt a shiver run down her back. 

Even now, she still couldn’t hold his gaze. His eyes were simply too overwhelming. 

“Let go of me,” Briana said, lifting her hand and pressing her slender fingers against his wrist. “Are you going to choke me to death for Vivian?” 

Shepard’s face was cold and unreadable, his grip tightened slightly. “Go. Apologize to her.” 

“No way,” Briana replied, her voice icy and resolute. 

Shepard’s grip tightened around her throat. “Don’t make me say it again.” 

“I’m not apologizing for something I never did,” Briana shot back, her voice unwavering. “No matter how much you threaten me, I’m not giving in.” 

If she apologized, it’d be like admitting she really did poison Vivian and make her mute. 

She wasn’t about to take the fall for this. 

They stood there, locked in a tense standoff, neither budging an inch. 

Shepard pushed up his glasses and leaned in, crowding Briana with a cold, intimidating presence. 

His gaze cut through his glasses, sharp and overwhelming. It was a pressure Briana could feel in her chest, a sudden struggle for breath. 

“Do you think your gallery will still be open tomorrow?” Shepard said, each word slow and deliberate, his voice dripping with menace. 

Briana’s eyes widened in shock. “Shepard! You’re such a jerk. How can you be this dirty?” 

With all the power and connections Shepard had in Belaris, crushing her gallery would be a piece of cake for him. 

Besides, her gallery was barely getting started. 

She didn’t have the power to even stand a chance against him. 

Shepard smirked, his lips curling into a cold, mocking smile. “Yeah, it’s dirty, but it works.” 

Briana didn’t even hesitate and slapped him hard across the face. 

But before her hand could even land, Shepard caught her wrist in a vice–like grip. 

Her wrist hurt from how hard he was squeezing. 

Briana gritted her teeth, glaring at him. “What if I do apologize, and Vivian still keeps coming after me? What am I supposed to do then?” 

3/4 

18:23 

Love Burnt, Baby Stayed 

55 vouchers 

“Vivian’s not that kind of person,” Shepard said, his voice cold but resolute. 

Briana couldn’t help but roll her eyes hard in her mind. 

Briana sneered to herself, ‘In his heart, Vivian is just so flawless and innocent. Men really are easy to fool.’ 

But Briana still asked, “So as long as I go apologize to Vivian in person, is this whole thing over?” 

“Yeah,” Shepard replied. 

Briana smiled, “Are you sure about that?” 

Shepard let go of her wrist, his hand dropping to his side, veins standing out on his arm. “I don’t have time to lie to you.” 

“Alright,” Briana agreed. “I’ll go apologize if that’s what you want.” 

Briana’s sudden shift made Shepard pause and study her for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out what she was up to. 

‘So threatening her gallery really is the only way to make her cooperate,‘ Shepard thought. 

But for some reason, Shepard caught a sly glint in her eyes. 

‘Is she scheming something?‘ he wondered, a flicker of suspicion crossing his mind. 

Send gift 

Comment