Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 82

Chapter 82 

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Briana had been feeling weak and out of it, but the moment she heard Henry’s words, her eyes snapped wide open. 

‘Is this what Shepard’s doing?‘ Briana wondered, her thoughts swirling. ‘Does this mean he regrets the divorce and wants to get back together with me? Is that even possible? No way!‘ 

Shepard was forced to marry her, and for five years, he treated her like she didn’t even exist. In the end, she was the one who finally couldn’t stand it and asked for a divorce. 

Now he could finally be with Vivian. 

He probably couldn’t be happier. 

་ ཌ ༠ 

Shepard’s eyes darkened. “Henry, what the hell are you talking about?” 

“If you’re not trying to get back with your ex, Mr. Carter, then why are you sneaking over to Evergreen Estate in the middle of the night just to check on Briana?” Henry shot back, his tone sharp. 

‘Oh, good point, Briana realized, snapping out of her daze. 

She tore her gaze away from Henry and turned to Shepard. 

Shepard said, “I just didn’t want her dropping dead and nobody even noticing.” 

‘Typical,‘ Briana thought, rolling her eyes. ‘Figures. You can’t expect anything decent out of him.’ 

Henry smirked, “Sure, admitting you regret it is embarrassing, Mr. Carter. But not even having the backbone to own up to it? That’s just pathetic. You’re not man enough to face it.” 

“Me? Regret it?” Shepard raised an eyebrow. “Regret what?” 

“Divorcing Briana,” Henry shot back. 

“You and Briana are both out of your minds,” Shepard scoffed. 

Henry shot back, “You only started to see how amazing Briana is after you lost her. Mr. Carter, you never noticed what made her special before, but now it’s finally hitting you. 

“You want to make things right because you realize you let go of someone who truly loved you, and a relationship that actually meant something.” 

Henry just called out the stuff Shepard had been avoiding, the things he didn’t want to admit to himself. 

These past few days, Shepard’s mood had been swinging all over the place, leaving him restless and frustrated. 

Every time he thought about Briana, he’d force himself not to feel anything, not to let himself miss her. 

He’d been lying to himself this whole time. 

But Henry just called it like it is, didn’t hold back. 

But Shepard still wouldn’t admit a thing, just kept running from it and acting all stubborn. 

“Vivian’s a thousand times better than Briana. With Vivian by my side, why would I even care about Briana?” Shepard said, his lips pressed into a thin line. 

“And if I don’t come to take care of her, are you just going to end up spending the night at Evergreen Estate like it’s no big 

Chapter 82 

deal?” he added. 

“So what if I stay over, Mr. Carter?” Henry shot back, refusing to back down. 

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“Briana and I haven’t gotten our divorce papers yet. You need to keep your distance from her!” Shepard snapped. 

‘How am I supposed to save dignity if people hear about this?‘ Shepard thought, his jaw tightening. 

“Oh.” Henry dragged out his words, “So you know the divorce isn’t final yet, huh? Then how do you explain all those photos of you and Vivian all over the internet, looking all lovey–dovey?” 

Briana sniffled, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men. 

‘Henry’s really on fire today,‘ Briana thought, a little impressed. 

He wasn’t showing even a hint of nerves or backing down in front of Shepard. 

But if she didn’t say something now, these two would probably keep arguing forever. 

“Enough,” Briana let out a heavy sigh. “Shepard, can you please leave? I don’t want to see you at all. Having you here is making me feel even sicker.” 

“And if I actually have to go to the hospital, I’d rather have Henry take me than you,” she added. 

Henry’s lips quirked up in a smile. 

Shepard looked like a storm was brewing on his face. 

“Then let’s go right now,” Henry said softly, moving to her side and reaching out to help her up from the couch. “Make sure you bundle up. Where’s your coat? Let me grab it for you.” 

Briana bent down to put on her shoes and replied, “It’s on the coat rack by the front door.” 

“Alright, I…” Henry started. 

Before he could finish, Shepard stormed over in just a few strides and grabbed/him by the collar. 

His veins popped on the back of his hand, fury written all over him. He’d been putting up with Henry for way too long. 

On the day of the divorce, right after they left the courthouse, Henry was already there, waiting for Briana. 

And now, Henry was getting more and more brazen, always trying to cross the line. 

He was acting like Shepard didn’t even matter. 

Henry lifted his chin, staring Shepard down. “What, you planning to throw hands now, Mr. Carter?” 

“Three seconds. Get out of Evergreen Estate,” Henry said coldly. 

Henry flashed a cocky smile. “Pretty sure you heard Briana loud and clear. She wants you gone, not me.” 

Shepard swung his fist, ready to land a blow. 

Henry stood his ground, not moving an inch. 

Because he was sure Briana would jump in and break it up before things got ugly. 

And just like he thought, Briana yelled, not even stopping to put on her shoes as she ran over. “Shepard! What are you doing?” 

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Chapter 82 

She instantly moved to stand protectively in front of Henry. 

That just made Shepard even more furious. 

“Step aside,” he growled through clenched teeth. 

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“You just barged into my home without saying a word, and now you want to start a fight here? What do you think this is, your own turf?” Briana snapped. 

“Get out! I don’t want to see you now, or ever again. Do you hear me?” she said. 

Shepard’s eyes were bloodshot, wild with fury. 

Through gritted teeth, his gaze burning into Briana, he spat out, “I’m gonna beat up Henry today. You hear me?” 

“Not unless you get past me first,” Briana fired back, standing her ground 

“Fine. Just great, Briana,” Shepard gritted out, his voice thick with sarcasm and anger. 

‘Seriously? She’s really defending Henry over me?‘ Shepard fumed, his chest tight with rage and disbelief. 

Briana stared Shepard down, her gaze unwavering. 

There was no way she was going to just stand by and let Shepard lay a hand on Henry. 

Meanwhile, Henry was standing behind her, his smirk getting bigger by the second. 

Briana couldn’t see it. 

But Shepard caught every bit of it. 

‘What’s Henry trying to pull now?‘ Shepard thought, his jaw tight with irritation. ‘Is he trying to act like some kind of male pick–me?‘ 

The tension was electric, with both men locked in a standoff, neither willing to back down. 

Briana didn’t know how much longer she could handle this. 

“Alright, Shepard, you wanna stick around? Suit yourself,” Briana said, her tone firm. “Henry and I are outta here. You can have the whole place to yourself.” 

Just as Briana finished talking, Charles’s voice drifted in, lazy and slurred, clearly drunk. 

“Hey, Briana, this is our home, the only thing Mom and Dad left us. Who are you trying to give it away to?” he mumbled, words tumbling out. 

Charles had just come back from a night of drinking. 

“You always say I’m the one wasting the family fortune? Please, you’re the real troublemaker here. At least I haven’t just handed our house over to someone else. What?” he slurred, still laughing. 

Charles was still grinning like a fool, but the moment he looked up and saw the chaos in the living room, he was totally 

dumbfounded. 

‘Hold up, what’s going on here?‘ he thought, completely stunned. ‘Why’s it so wild in here?” 

Charles blinked, rubbed his eyes, and kept staring, just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating from the booze. 

“What the hell is going on here?” Charles blurted out, sobering up fast. “Shepard, this is my house. You seriously think you 

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can throw down here?” 

Briana felt her head pounding even harder. 

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‘At all times, why does Charles have to walk in now?‘ Briana thought, her frustration hitting a new high. 

‘Great, now he’s just making things even more chaotic!‘ she complained to herself. 

Charles saw Shepard grabbing Henry by the collar and swaggered over, rolling up his sleeves like he was about to throw down. 

“What, still itching for a rematch after last time? Let’s see if Henry and I can take you together! You’re trying to be a one–man army now, Shepard? 

“Think you can handle both of us?” Charles slurred, his tone full of drunken bravado and challenge. 

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