Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 106

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Shepard’s life had always been caty. If he wanted something, hot it. Nothing was out of reach for him, unless he simply didn’t care for it 

But when it came to something as major as marriage, he could just do whatever he wanted. He didn’t get to call the shots 

So, deep down, Shepard couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of Bustration. Guess they really want me to marry Briana. but? Fine. I’ll marry her. Whatever 

But there was no way he was ever letting Vivian go for good. The more they tried to keep him and Vivian apart, the more stubborn he got about keeping her close. 

Vivian’s time in his life paled in comparison to Briana’s. Shepard and Briana had known each other for over twenty years. That was most of his lifetime. 

“Do you really need to think about it that long?” Briana waved her hand in front of Shepard’s face. “Is it really that hard to answer? Isn’t love supposed to be something you just know?” 

Shepard didn’t say a word. 

Briana laughed. “Guess you don’t care about Vivian all that much after all. Shepard, you’re just in love with yourself. You love how she always does what you want, and you keep holding onto the fact that she saved your life.” 

Shut up.” Shepard cut her off coldly. He didn’t want to listen anymore. 

Briana scoffed, “Fine, I won’t say it. But I still have another question I haven’t even gotten to ask yet.” 

Shepard shot her a look. “What is it?” 

“Didn’t you just tell me to shut up?” Briana teased. She mimed zipping her lips shut. 

Shepard said, “You can ask something else.” 

Briana said, “You’ll just tell me to shut up again. Never mind.” 

“Say it!” Shepard barked. His voice was deep and forceful, startling Briana. 

She frowned. “Alright, you asked for it. Shepard, all the drama between you and Vivian started with that fire. But what if there was something fishy about that fire?” 

Shepard looked up, pinning Briana with his stare. Briana met his gaze, but his icy look was too much. After a few seconds, her resolve crumbled, and she tried to turn away. But Shepard grabbed her wrist and yanked her closer. 

“Briana, you’re something else,” he said. 

She didn’t get it. “What do you mean?” 

“So, now you’re trying to drive a wedge between us? You know the reason Vivian and I fell for each other was that she risked her life for me in that fire, and now you’re using that fire to stir up trouble!” 

“But don’t you think that fire was suspicious? You were the only one in the equipment room, and Vivian just happened to be there right when it happened, knew you were in there, and ran in to save you!” 

Shepard replied, “It was fate!” 

Briana’s mouth fell open, and she stared at him for a few seconds before finally nodding. “Yeah, fate. That’s what I thought at first, too.” 

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16:54 Wed, Dec 31 DGG. 

Chapter 106 

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CL 45 Vouche 

It wasn’t until Olivia accidentally noticed something off, dug up me records, and told her about it that Briana really started to question what had happened with that fire. The more she thought about it, the more holes she found in the story. 

Vivian had used that sudden fire to completely change her life, ar Shepard and Briana apart, and force her way into their relationship. 

Was Vivian just really that good at playing games, or were Shepard and I really that easy to fool?‘ Briana wondered. 

Briana shrugged. “Alright, just forget I said anything. You can go back to whatever you were doing.” 

She got up and plopped down on the couch next to him. After sting for a bit, she felt uncomfortable and flopped onto her stomach. But lying on her stomach didn’t feel right either, so she rolled over onto her side. 

Briana kept rolling around on the couch, messing with her phone, flipping through a book, and when she got bored, she ended up napping. 

Meanwhile, Shepard hadn’t budged at all. He just sat there, locked in the same position, eyes glued to his computer, working nonstop. 

When Briana woke up from her nap, she blinked and saw Shepard still sitting there, totally motionless, like some kind of statue. She stretched and yawned. “Seriously, do you ever get tired? What are you, made of steel or something?” 

With everything that’s happened since last night, she’d even squeezed in a nap and still felt exhausted, but Shepard looked like he hadn’t been fazed at all. 

Shepard just ignored her. Briana rested her chin in her palm, staring at him. When she saw he really wasn’t going to bother with her, she made a face, rolled over, and decided to squeeze in another nap. She slept like the dead. 

When she finally woke up again, it was already evening. The sky outside was getting dark. 

Shepard was standing by the window, a cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling up lazily. Hearing the noise, he turned to glance at her. “You awake?” 

Briana groaned. “Yeah. Slept too much. Now my head’s killing me.” 

“You’re just like a pig,” Shepard said. 

“Why are you calling me a pig?” Briana complained. She unhappily sat up, crossing her legs, her hair all messy and still groggy from sleep. 

She glanced at the cigarette burning down between Shepard’s fingers and asked, “So, you’ve been watching over me all day. Are you planning to keep it up tomorrow too?” 

Shepard acted like he hadn’t heard her. 

Briana kept talking to herself. “You’ve got your company, and I’ve got my gallery. We can’t just stay holed up at Carter Estate forever, staring at each other. 

“Are you really that scared I’ll make a break for it? Where could even go? The whole Belaris is your turf. Honestly, we should just get divorced and stop torturing each other. 

“Just set me free, and set yourself free, too. You hurt me, and I hurt you. We’re even now. We both cheated, and we both got hurt. Can’t we just let it go?” She was frustrated. 

For the sake of divorce and their child, Briana was willing to take the blame for cheating and let everyone think she was the one who was unfaithful. 

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16:54 Wed, Dec 31 GG. 

Chapter 106 

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She continued. “I know you can hear me, Shepard. Let’s sit down and talk, work this out, and actually put an end to it. Just letting things drag on like this isn’t going to get us anywhere. 

“We can’t live like this forever. You can’t be with Vivian, and I can be with Henry. This is getting us nowhere. None of us gets a happy ending. What’s the point? 

“Hey, Shepard, I’m talking to you. At least say something, will you? Shepard!” When he still ignored her, Briana was getting pissed off. 

She’d slept enough and had her energy back, so she got up from the couch, didn’t even bother with her shoes, and walked straight over to him. 

Just as her hand brushed the edge of his shirt, the gates of Carter Estate slowly swung open, and a car rolled in. The headlights swept across them, blindingly bright. 

Briana shielded her eyes from the glare. Once the lights dimmed, she lowered her hand and squinted to see who it was. Briana said, “It’s Vivian. Vivian’s here.” 

Shepard said, “Briana, are you satisfied now?” 

“Satisfied,” she shot back. She was ready for the show. She wanted to see how Shepard tries to calm Vivian down, and how Vivian kicks up a fuss. 

The car came to a stop. Vivian gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white, then finally got out, her gaze lingering on the lavish mansion in front of her. 

She’d spent her whole life dreaming of moving here, of becoming the mistress of Carter Estate. Nothing and no one could stand in her way, not even Shepard himself. He must marry her. She was the only option. 

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