Shepard’s hand froze.
Briana thought, ‘Shepard?
It had been so long since I heard her call me that.
‘That nickname belongs to Briana alone.
‘Only she would trail after me, repeating that name again and again.
31%
From the time Shepard was ten, through his twenties, and now, as he approached thirty, Briana had always been there. She was the thread that ran through all of Shepard’s younger years.
Shepard murmured, gently tucking away a messy strand from Biana’s temple. “You. What am I supposed to do with you?”
He couldn’t help but like how she looked when she was asleep.
So gentle and quiet. It touched the softest part of his heart.
But the moment Briana woke up, she’d be a completely different person.
She’d be all thorns, dodging him, and her words would sting with sarcasm and bite.
Shepard whispered, “If only we could turn back time, to before Vivian showed up. Things would be so much better. Back then, I really meant it when I said I wanted forever with you.
“But there’s no going back. Still, Briana, right now, I can’t believe I’m actually thinking about forever with you all over again.
“You betrayed me, Briana.
“I asked you. If you were willing to end the pregnancy and cut ties with Henry, I would’ve left Vivian for good. But you never trusted me.
“Maybe you were right not to trust me.”
He hesitantly withdrew his hand.
As Shepard’s touch left her cheek, Briana, still asleep, started to book restless.
Her brows drew together in a tight frown.
Briana mumbled in her sleep, her voice barely a whisper, almost pleading, “Shepard, please don’t like Vivian, okay? She
you, but that doesn’t mean you have to like her.
saved
“If I’d been there, I would’ve rushed in to save you, not even thinking twice.
“Grandma said I was meant to marry you ever since I was ten. Iways knew I was supposed to be your bride.
“Shepard, I have to be your bride.”
Briana curled up even tighter, her chin disappearing into the cogers, trapped in a nightmare.
She mumbled, “Vivian’s not a good person. Don’t let her mess with your head.
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ས ༣ 31%–
“Even if you don’t love me anymore, you should be with someone innocent, someone who truly deserves you.
“She needs to be so much better than me, way better. Vivian is too scheming. Don’t let her stay with you. Shepard.”
In her dream, Briana saw Shepard’s figure fading away.
He was leaving her behind.
She tried to chase after him, but stumbled and crashed to the floor.
The sudden pain snapped Briana awake.
Her gaze was still hazy, unable to focus just yet.
A couple of seconds later, she spotted Shepard sitting at the edge of the bed.
She shot upright, her back pressed against the headboard. “You…Why aren’t you sleeping? Why are you just staring at me?”
“You had a nightmare,” Shepard said quietly.
His expression was calm.
The warm, yellow light softened his features, taking away the sharpness he usually had during the day.
The scenes from her dream flashed through Briana’s mind.
She thought, Just a quick nap and I’m already dreaming?
‘Must be all the stress lately. Too much going on.”
“How do you know?” Briana asked, her voice a little tense. “Did I talk in my sleep?”
“Yeah.”
“So… What did I say?” Briana bit her lip, cheeks flushing with embarrassment, but her curiosity got the better of her.
“You said…” Shepard drawled, clearly enjoying the moment, “tha you love me.”
Briana was just lost for words.
She stared at him for a couple of seconds, then protested weakly “No way. Stop lying.”
“Come on, you know exactly what you said in your dream,” Shepard teased, his tone playful.
Briana thought, ‘Of course I know. That’s why I’m so embarrasse!
She’d dreamed about the time when both families were arranging their marriage, and Shepard had turned down the whole thing.
In the dream, she grabbed his hand, begging him to reconsider.
So yeah, it was totally possible she’d confessed her feelings in her sleep, and Shepard had heard every word.
But no way!
There was no way in hell Briana was ever admitting that.
Shepard caught her silence and nudged, “So, what did you dream about?”
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“Nothing. Briana replied.
Briana turned her head away, refusing to say another word about it.
ས ཐཱ31%L
Ever since Shepard fell for Vivian, Briana had humbled herself for five whole years, always putting his feelings above her
Own.
Five years, and she still couldn’t win him back, couldn’t get even a shred of real affection from him. She’d lost all hope.
He was never the right guy for her.
She should’ve let go a long time ago.
As for that dream, it was just a dream. It didn’t mean anything.
But Shepard leaned in, his lips grazing her cheek before he gently turned her head so she was facing him.
He said, “Briana, you and I. We need a complete reset.” His voice was low and husky.
Briana frowned, not getting it. “Reset what, exactly?”
“Us,” Shepard replied.
This constant tension, always clashing and on edge. It was time for something different.
After all these years together, as childhood friends, now as husband and wife, it shouldn’t have come to this.
Now, they just can’t stand the sight of each other.
Briana’s eyes lit up. “So you’re okay with getting divorced now?”
Shepard’s face darkened. “When did I say anything about a divorce?”
“You just said we should change things between us,” Briana argued, sounding sure of herself. “We’re married, so if we’re changing that. Doesn’t that mean getting divorced and going back to being strangers?”
She completely misunderstood what Shepard meant.
What Shepard really wanted was a change for the better…
To fix things between them.
Not to make it all fall apart!
But seeing Briana get all excited and hopeful at the idea of divore, Shepard couldn’t help but feel a wave of irritation bubbling up inside him.
Noticing Shepard’s dark expression, Briana started to realize what was up.
She shot him a skeptical look. “Wait, don’t tell me you actually want to fix things between us? Are you crazy or something?”
She even reached out to touch his forehead, just to see if he was ick or something.
Nothing wrong there.
Shepard snorted, brushed her hand away, and got up to leave.
Briana was left sitting there, totally baffled and at a loss for word
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She thought, What the hell is his problem now?
ས%31%2
‘He is always so cold and stiff, like a brick wall. Never say what is on his mind. Never want to talk, and always give me attitude for no reason.‘
“Come on,” Briana scoffed.
Briana lay back down, clutching her blanket tightly, and closed her eyes.
She felt the bed sink as Shepard settled in beside her.
He lay down, too.
It felt like there was a whole galaxy between them.
Neither of them dared to cross that divide.
“Get ready for the party,” Shepard said, his voice firm. “This time, don’t even think about pulling any of your stunts.”
She’d already gotten the better of him more than once.
There was no way he was letting Briana scheme against him again tonight, not this time.
Briana scoffed, “Are you really that scared I’ll mess things up? I already said I’d go about?”
with
you, so what are you still stressing
“Who knows what you’re up to?” Shepard shot back.
This time, Shepard was on high alert around Briana, determined not to let her pull any tricks.
*****
The next morning, when Briana came downstairs, she saw that all her art supplies and canvases had been hauled off to the
Carter Estate.
She thought, ‘Great.
‘Now I couldn’t even go to my gallery.
Is this party really that important? No, it’s all about Shepard’s pride.
‘If he did show up with me, people would be laughing behind his back, saying he couldn’t even keep his wife in line.
AD
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