Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 176

Chapter 176 

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“What, Shepard?” Briana said, forcing a smile. “You finally want to make things official with Vivian, so you’re cutting me loose?” 

“Briana, 1,” Shepard began to say. 

“Vivian’s not a good person,” Briana cut him off, saying, whether he wanted to hear it or not. “She’s been messing around with Eric. That baby she’s carrying? Who knows if it’s even yours? 

“And that fire at Aetherton University? Something was off, and Vivian had a hand in it. She pretends to be your savior, but in reality, she’s the one who actually put your life at risk. 

“Shepard, that’s all I know. I’ve told you everything. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. As for the evidence.” 

‘Henry has the evidence,‘ Briana thought. 

Just thinking about Henry made Briana’s tears fall all over again. 

She wiped her tears away, her voice choked with emotion. She said, “I’ll get the evidence. I promise.” 

Shepard’s big hand landed on her head. He said, “I already have a witness.” 

Briana was so stunned she forgot to cry, tears still shimmering in her eyes as she stared at Shepard. 

‘Wait, did I really just hear that?‘ Briana thought, her mind reeling. 

“I found Sam,” Shepard said. “He told me everything.” 

Briana stared at him, her mind racing to process his words. 

Shepard sighed and said, “Briana, I finally see through Vivian. Sam came forward, and she admitted it, too. She threatened Sam into setting that fire; she was the one behind it all. After all these years, the truth has finally come to light. 

“I spent the whole day dealing with this. I talked to Sam, then Vivian, and after that, I went into hiding out in the suburbs, at your parents‘ graves, and stayed there until nightfall. 

“There was no signal up in the mountains, and my phone died, so Henry and Olivia couldn’t get in touch with me right away. That’s why Henry got to you before I did.” 

Shepard’s palm gently caressed Briana’s cheek. 

“Briana, if I’d been the first one to show up, I’d have been the one hurt and tossed into the river. Wouldn’t that have been better?” he said, with a wry smile. “Yeah, that would’ve been better.” 

If he were gone, all these problems would just disappear. 

He had it coming. 

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Chapter 176 

He’d be out of the picture, for good. 

That way, Henry and Briana could finally spend the rest of their lives together. 

“So, I want Henry to be safe even more than you do, Shepard said, his voice dropping low. “Because he’s the only one who can truly make you happy for the rest of your days.” 

He was no longer the one who could stand by Briana’s side, through thick and thin. 

He’d lost that right. 

The hospital room was dead silent. 

The only sound was Briana’s ragged breathing. 

She’d spent so long hunting for evidence, desperate to rip off Vivian’s mask and bring the truth about the fire to light, but Shepard had already uncovered everything. 

Briana thought she should be happy. 

But instead, there wasn’t a trace of joy in her heart; all she felt was how ridiculous it all was. 

Her whole life had been a mess. 

Love and hate had never come at the right time for her. 

When Briana loved Shepard the most, he hated her. 

He hated her for making him marry her, for stopping him from marrying the woman he truly loved. 

Now, when Shepard loved Briana the most. 

But Briana hated him. 

“If Henry ends up dead, Shepard, you’re one of the people responsible, too,” Briana said, her voice trembling. “You may not have killed him yourself, but he died trying to save me, and I only got kidnapped because of your Vivian and Eric.” 

Every single one of them failed Henry. Every single one of them owed him. 

“If I could give my life for Henry’s, Briana, I’d do it willingly, no hesitation,” Shepard said, his voice steady and sincere. 

He meant every word. 

His fingertips gently brushed her cheek, feeling its softness, but inside, Shepard knew they were drifting further and further apart. 

They used to intersect, but now they’re just running side by side, never to cross again. 

Briana took a deep breath. 

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Chapter 176 

“I don’t want anyone to die,” she said. “Except Eric and Vivian.” 

Those two were evil to the core; they deserved to die a thousand deaths. 

Shepard just grunted. He said, “They’ll get what’s coming to them.” 

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“When did you start suspecting the two of them?” Briana asked. “Back when I tried to tell you about Vivian and the fire, you thought I was just trying to drive a wedge between you.” 

“I didn’t suspect Vivian at first. It was Eric I was watching. While I was investigating him, I started to notice something off about Vivian,” Shepard said. 

Briana let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “So all this time, you really believed in Vivian. You thought she truly loved you, gave you everything without holding back. Shepard, bet that betrayal stings, huh? Waking up from a dream like that hurts, doesn’t it?” 

“It hurts,” Shepard admitted. 

“You loved the wrong person,” Briana said. 

“It’s not loving Vivian that hurts me; truth is, I never loved her at all,” Shepard said. “The moment I learned the truth, what really kills me is how much I’ve let you down.” 

Looking back on five years of marriage, Shepard felt like he was less than human. 

He had crushed Briana’s love, treated her like she was nothing, just brushed her aside. 

He hurt the one who loved him most, yet cherished the one who manipulated him. 

All those memories came flooding back to Shepard, and all that was left was regret. 

‘If only I could go back and do it all over again,‘ Shepard thought, the weight of his remorse crushing him. 

Briana didn’t say anything else. She quietly settled back against the hospital bed, her eyes gazing out the window. 

The sky was getting a little brighter. 

Sunlight was slowly pushing its way through the thick clouds. 

All this time, all Briana wanted was to get the evidence that Vivian started the fire, to let everyone see who she really was. 

She also just wanted to end her marriage as soon as she could. 

And now, out of nowhere, everything she’d been fighting for was suddenly over. 

Suddenly, Briana felt like she had nothing left to fight for. 

She felt like she’d already reached the end of her story; there was nothing left to hope for. 

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Chapter 126 

She finally got everything she’d been fighting for, but in the end, she lost the one person in this world who was always selfless for her. 

To Briana, Henry meant more to her than Charles ever did. 

Charles was always making things harder for her, dragging her down, but Henry was there for her from start to finish, always had her back, no matter what. 

And now, he was even willing to risk his life for her. 

“Let’s end this marriage,” Briana said out of nowhere, 

Shepard answered, “Alright” 

“So when are we finally signing the divorce papers?” Briana asked. 

Shepard answered, “We have to wait for the divorce process” 

Thirty days had come and gone, but the process still wasn’t finalized. Now they had to wait another thirty days. 

Briana counted the days in her mind and let out a weary sigh. 

Her heart felt unbearably heavy, like a stone pressing down on her, leaving her feeling suffocated and restless.