Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 110

Chapter 110 

Shepard pulled Vivian closer. He said. Triana, you really need see a therapist. I’ll set it up for you tomorrow. 

Briana sitapped. “Set it 

my ass! 

Thadn’t managed to get anything out of her, the recording was 

mist, and now I had to watch these two shameless jerks 

flaunt their relationship right in front of me. The more she thought about it, the more fuming she got. 

Shepard frowned, shooting Briana a look of clear displeasure. 

Vivian spoke softly, “Shep, maybe my being here is bothering he’ll head out first, and you can walk me out.” 

Okay, Shepard replied. 

As she stood up, Vivian said, “Briana, you can accuse me of anything you want, but don’t twist what happened in that fire. I nearly died getting Shep out of there.” 

Briana didn’t say a word. She just grabbed the cup from the table and hurled the coffee straight into Vivian’s face, 

Ah Vivian let out a shrick. The coffee drenched Vivian’s face. Her hair was soaked, coffee running down in little streams. Her makeup was smeared, and she looked like a complete disaster. 

The coffee got all over Shepard’s shirt too, leaving a brown mark Briana slammed the cup down and stormed upstairs 

without another word. 

Still fuming, she made it to the second floor, flung open the door to a guest room, and slammed the lock shut behind her. 

“Hello, Olivia” She immediately called Olivia for a video chat. 

Olivia asked, practically bouncing with anticipation, “So? How’d go? I’ve been on pins and needles. Did you get anything?” 

Briana let out a sigh. “Nope.” 

For real? Vivian’s even more tight–lipped than I thought,” Olivia replied, sounding a bit let down. 

Briana grumbled. “Yeah, not only did I not get anything out of her, but she pulled her fake sweet act on me again. She’s way too good at playing the helpless victim in front of Shepard.” 

Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. “What are we supposed to do now?” 

Let’s think it over and come up with a plan,” Briana replied. 

Olivia asked, “Why are you still at Carter Estate? Aren’t you going home?” 

Briana’s eyes darted around as she came up with an idea. “Olivia come pick me up from Carter Estate tomorrow.” 

Olivia agreed instantly. “No problem. But why do you need me to come get you all of a sudden?” 

Because without you, I might not even be able to leave Carter Estate,” Briana said. 

Wait, what? Is Shepard really trying to keep you locked up?” Olivia asked, sounding shocked. 

Briana nodded. “Yeah, he’s been personally watching me all day fm done staying here. I need to get to the gallery. I’ve got things to do.” She flopped down on the big bed, letting out a long dramatic sigh. 

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“Seriously, what’s going on? Why is Shepard suddenly trying to control you? Isn’t he the one who wishes you’d just disappear from his life?” Olivia couldn’t wrap her head around it. 

“Olivia, let’s talk in person tomorrow. I’ll fill you in then She planned to tell Olivia about her pregnancy. Her heart yearned to go to the hospital to see Henry. Yet, she was trapped at Carter Estate, unable to move an inch. 

Tomorrow, it all depended on how Olivia worked her magic. Brna had full faith in her bestie. She was sure Olivia would get her out, no matter what. 

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like there’s some juicy gossip goming my way” 

“Oh yeah, it’s a total bombshell,” Briana replied. 

“Don’t worry, if I don’t bust you out of Carter Estate tomorrow, you can call me anything but Olivia. But you gotta work with me here. Don’t suddenly start sticking up for Shepard again. That would be too much for me,” Olivia said. 

Briana rolled over, propped her chin on her hand, and kicked her legs in the air. “No way, my crush mode is officially off.” 

“When did that happen?” Olivia asked. 

“When I filed for divorce,” Briana replied. 

Olivia burst out laughing. 

Briana was about to say something else when she suddenly heard footsteps outside, getting closer, and closer, until they stopped just beyond her door. She turned around to check. 

Olivia asked, “What’s up? Is Shepard there?” 

“Yeah, but I locked the door. Ah!” Briana yelped, startled. Briana hadn’t even finished her sentence when she heard keys rattling outside the door. 

“No time, no time. Shepard’s got a key. I’ve gotta block the door Briana shot up, panicking. 

She ended the video call, flung her phone onto the bed, and rushed to the door. She threw herself against it, frantically fiddling with the lock, doing everything she could to keep Shepard out. 

Briana threw her whole body against it, but it was useless. The lock popped open. Shepard pushed the door open like it was nothing. He stepped inside, his eyes icy and full of menace. 

“Why are you holed up in here?” Shepard asked, his voice icy. 

“None of your business. Or what, you expect me to go back to the master bedroom with you?” Briana shot back. 

Shepard replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Yes.” 

“No way!” Briana snapped. 

Shepard said, looking down at her, “You can walk back yourself, or I’ll just haul you back myself. Your call.” 

Briana lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m not picking either!” 

Shepard just went for it. He grabbed her by the waist, put a little muscle into it, and lifted her up like she weighed nothing. No matter how much Briana struggled or tried to fight back, it was all for nothing. 

Back in the master bedroom, Shepard just tossed her onto the bed. She was thrown onto the bed so hard she was seeing stars. The mattress was ridiculously soft. She kept sinking in, struggling to get up but failing every time, 

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Shepard stood at the edge of the bed, arms crossed, towering over her. He asked, “Briana, what’s it gonna take for you to finally listen?” 

He didn’t need her to be the perfect, obedient girl she used to be always putting him first. But he didn’t want her always on the attack, claws out, either. 

Briana shot back, “I was too much of a pushover before.” 

Shepard said, “If you put our relationship aside, I never treated you unfairly in any other way.” 

She fired back, “Yeah, right, you’ve never done anything wrong to Vivian either.” 

“That’s because she saved my life,” Shepard replied. 

Briana thought, “There it was again. She saved his life.‘ 

Briana bit down hard on her lip. “Shepard, one day you’re gonna see just how much you’ve been lied to. What if Vivian never saved you? What if she was actually the one who hurt you? How would you feel then?” 

He froze for a moment, and before he knew it, he was actually thinking about it. ‘If all of this was just Vivian’s scheme, then the person I wronged the most would be Briana. 

He broke up with her, called off their engagement, and spoiled Vivian rotten. He really owed her. But then he thought, ‘No way Vivian didn’t save me.‘ 

When the blazing fire surrounded him, he felt the suffocating heat, the thick smoke, the sheer desperation. When he was literally staring death in the face, Vivian was the one who charged in. 

Shepard remembered every single detail from that day. The fire was raging, crackling everywhere, and stuff kept falling from the ceiling. Vivian was hauling him, half–carrying, half–dragging, dodging debris as best she could. 

Shepard snapped, his voice cold. “No way. Vivian saved my life, period. Don’t even try to mess with her, or twist what happened in that fire.” 

Briana just rolled her eyes at him. She grabbed a pillow, turned her back to Shepard, and pulled the covers over herself. ‘Sleep now. Just gotta hang in there till Olivia comes to get me tomorrow morning. 

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