Chapter 203
Briana was just about to reach the door when Shepard suddenly pushed it open from the outside.
The door nearly slammed into her, and she quickly stepped back.
Shepard’s hand was gripping the doorknob so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.
His gaze locked onto Briana.
Looking at her, it was as if he was staring at someone both familiar and utterly foreign.
Briana’s brows slowly knitted together.
‘What’s gotten into him now?‘ she thought.
“Are you okay?” Briana asked.
“What are you doing here?” Shepard asked.
They both blurted out in unison.
There was a brief pause, and things went quiet for a few seconds.
“I’m fine,” Briana said.
“I came to see you,” Shepard said.
They both blurted out again.
Shepard pursed his lips, walked in slowly, and closed the door behind him with a flick of his wrist.
The studio was filled with a lingering scent, mingling the air with Briana’s subtle fragrance.
He even made sure his breathing was barely audible.
Briana could tell Shepard was acting strange, but she couldn’t figure out why he’d come.
‘He’s only just recovered from being in the hospital, she thought. ‘Is he here to call me out because I didn’t visit or pick him up when he was discharged?
‘Come on, that can’t be it. Shepard’s not that petty‘
“Alright, out with it,” Briana said directly. “What do you want from me?”
Shepard slowly walked up to her, closing the distance between them.
Instinctively, Briana tried to step back, wanting to put some space between them.
But before she could move, Shepard reached out, his long arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her into his arms.
He held her tight.
His arm was like an iron band around her.
Briana tried to push him away, but the more she struggled, the tighter he held her.
Even through her clothes, she could feel the tension in his muscles.
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Chapter 203
He was all muscle, firm and powerful.
“Let go,” Briana glared at him. “Shepard, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t get handsy.”
He was never like this before.
Even just to pat her head, he’d always hesitate for ages, testing the waters to see how she’d react.
But now he just pulled her into his arms without a second thought.
Briana reached up and touched his forehead, asking, “You’re not running a fever again, are you?”
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She checked, then muttered, “Nope, you’re perfectly normal. And honestly, even when you were burning up with a fever, you never acted like this toward me.”
Shepard just stared at her, his eyes full of conflicting emotions.
“I’m only holding you because I’m scared you’ll make a break for it,” Shepard said. “Briana, I can’t let you out of my sight right now.”
He knew the question he was about to ask was bound to freak her out.
‘If she bolts, then what?‘ he thought. ‘Would I have to chase after her? Would it just turn into a game of cat and mouse between us?‘
So, he simply wrapped her up in his arms, refusing to let her go.
Honestly, Shepard had been dying to hold her for a long time.
Briana stared at him, totally confused. “Run away?”
‘Why would I run? Where would I even run to?‘ she wondered. ‘I mean, this is my gallery, my turf. If anything, I should be kicking Shepard out, not running away myself!‘
“Can you just act normal for once? You’re acting so weird,” Briana said, giving him a look. “Seriously, why did you come all the way to my gallery?”
“Briana, have you ever kept any secrets from me in our marriage?” Shepard asked.
Briana shook her head. “No, I’ve always been upfront with you. I gave you everything I had.”
She felt no guilt, she knew she’d never wronged him.
“Are you sure?” Shepard pushed, his voice low. “Really think about it, have you ever kept something completely under wraps, something you absolutely never wanted me to know?”
Suddenly, Briana felt a chill run down her spine, something wasn’t right.
Because if she was being honest, there was only one thing she’d kept hidden from Shepard all along.
The truth was, the baby growing inside her was actually Shepard’s.
But after Henry died, that secret was locked away forever.
No one ever brought it up.
She would never spill the beans, and Olivia was even less likely to rat her out.
So, Shepard would never find out the truth.
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Chapter 203
RITA
But now, with him asking like this, she was stunned.
‘Did he catch on to something?‘ Briana wondered. How dd he catch on it?”
A thousand questions flashed through Briana’s mind, but she kept her cool. “I’ve got nothing to hide from you, Shepard. We’ve known each other for nearly twenty years, don’t we know each other inside out by now?”
She gave a wry, self–mocking smile. “I knew about you supporting Vivian from the start, and you always knew I was carrying Henry’s baby.”
Shepard’s gaze turned dark and hard to read.
He just kept staring at her, unblinking.
Briana’s nerves started to fray under his intense stare.
She turned her head away. “But you know, there is one thing about you that I’m actually satisfied with.”
“What is it?” Shepard asked.
“You never told the Carter family that I was carrying Henry’s baby while we were married,” Briana said.
‘If he ever did, the Carter family wouldn’t be so nice to me now,’ Briana thought.
“Of course,” Briana shot back, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, “maybe you just didn’t want to look like a fool. I mean, nobody wants people to know they’ve been played. Why would you want that getting out?”
Shepard let out a deep sigh and hung his head.
He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, making sure she couldn’t look away from him.
“Briana, after everything, you’re still lying to me,” he murmured, voice thick with emotion. “I almost spent my whole life in the dark because of you, never knowing the truth.”
Briana’s heart skipped a beat.
It hit her. Shepard knew the truth now.
‘How did he find out?‘ she wondered. ‘Who told him?‘
Only two other people in the whole world knew, besides her.
One was Henry, and the other was Olivia.
Olivia couldn’t stand the sight of Shepard, she found him insufferable. There’s no way she’d ever spill about the baby to him out of the blue,
‘Henry? That’s even less likely,‘ she wondered. ‘Did Henry come to him in a dream or something?
“Briana, just be real with me, no more lies,” Shepard said, his warm breath fanning across her face. “Tell me, right here, right now. The baby it’s mine, isn’t it? We have a child together. Can you say it? Just once?”
Briana lowered her gaze, her lashes casting a shadow over her eyes, hiding everything she felt inside.
Just moments ago, she’d been worried sick that Shepard might have uncovered her secret.
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But now that he’d put everything on the table, a strange calm washed over her.
‘So that’s why Shepard barged in, acting all weird. He knows I’m pregnant with his child now,‘ Briana thought.
ORD
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Chapter 203
Briana was officially out of secrets now.
It felt like she was stripped bare in front of Shepard.
Absolutely no privacy was left
Dead silence hung in the air, so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Shepard reached up and brushed her cheek, his fingers moving gently, again and again.
“Briana, the baby is mine. It’s mine,” he murmured over and over, voice trembling. “We have a child together.”
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“I almost walked away from you and our baby for good. How could you be so heartless, letting me go my whole life never knowing the truth?” Shepard said.
“I was such a fool. I believed every word you said, never stopped to question any of it,” he added.
“How could you possibly be carrying Henry’s baby? We were married. I knew everything about your daily life And you’re not the kind of person who would betray our marriage or ever cross that line,” he said.
Shepard’s voice was thick with emotion, on the verge of breaking.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he let out a heavy sigh, then pulled Briana into his arms, holding her tight.
AD
