Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 96

Chapter 96 

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As air flooded her lungs, Briana’s head spun–dizziness was all she could feel. 

It was like she’d just had a brush with death. 

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Her brain screamed for oxygen, her chest throbbed, and her throat felt raw, as if someone had dragged a blade across it. 

It took her several minutes to steady herself and finally catch her breath. 

Shepard towered over her, his eyes cold and unforgiving. 

His eyes were icy, burning with hatred. 

It was like he was ready to rip her to shreds, not leaving a single piece behind. 

Briana swallowed, trying to ease the burning in her throat. She wiped away the tears she hadn’t even realized were there, then looked up at Shepard. 

“You’re right, Shepard,” Briana said, her voice icy. “I’m not good enough to have your kids or keep the Carter family line going. 

“Vivian’s the one you want, the one you want to have your child. Well, this baby isn’t yours. You don’t get to decide what happens to Henry’s baby or me. 

“I’m having this baby for Henry. He loves me, and he’s always waited for me, never gave up on me. Why wouldn’t I choose him? Why should I keep clinging to you? 

“Henry gave everything you had never given me. He’ll give our baby and me a real home, a future worth living for. So…” 

Briana paused and pulled a bitter smile. “Only an idiot wouldn’t know what to choose.” 

“You have a death wish, huh, Briana?” Shepard’s voice was icy and life–threatening. “You really think you can make a fool out of me?” 

“Wasn’t it you who made me a joke first?” Briana shot back. “I’m your wife, but your heart has always belonged to Vivian. You’ve been betraying me for years. If you get to run to her, why can’t I go to Henry?” 

Shepard bent down, his deadly glare locking onto her. “Let me make this clear. During our five years of marriage, I never touched Vivian. Not even once.” 

“So what?” Briana retorted in a light tone.“Your body was with me, but your heart was with her. Why should I waste my life on a body with no soul? It’s meaningless.” 

“So that’s your excuse for messing around with Henry? And now you’re pinning it all on me?” Shepard 

sneered. 

Briana shrugged. “That’s just how it is. I really don’t feel like fighting with you right now. I don’t want to get all 

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Chapter 96 

worked up and mess with the baby.” 

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‘Mess with the baby? Look at her, acting like she actually cares about that bastard, Shepard sneered to himself. 

He kicked the coffee table over, sending it crashing to the floor. 

The table hit the ground with a deafening bang. The sound was so loud that it made Briana’s ears ring. 

But she didn’t even flinch, just sat there on the couch, her face blank. 

Shepard vented his fury on whatever he could get his hands on, smashing things left and right. 

Everything within arm’s reach was smashed to bits. 

If he couldn’t break it, he just kept kicking it, over and over. 

Bang! He shoved a man–sized porcelain vase, sending it crashing to the floor where it shattered across the 

room. 

Porcelain shards exploded across the room. 

Briana suddenly felt a burning pain slash across her cheek. 

When she reached up, her fingers came away stained with bright red blood. 

A tiny shard had nicked her face, leaving a thin red mark where blood was already starting to well up. 

Shepard was like a lion gone berserk, wild and furious. 

After his rampage, he stood there, hands on his hips, chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. The veins on his forehead and arms were popping out, snaking across his skin, pulsing with fury. 

Everyone in the Carter Estate could hear the commotion. 

But no one dared to step forward, and no one even dared to come out. 

“Are you done venting?” Briana asked, her voice calm. “Or are you just thinking about hitting me now?” 

“I don’t hit women, Briana,” Shepard said. 

“But you almost choked me to death just now,” Briana shot back. 

Shepard gritted his teeth. “You deserve to die.” 

‘She’s really pushing my buttons,‘ Shepard thought, his anger boiling over. 

“No wonder Henry was waiting for you right after we walked out of the courthouse,” Shepard sneered. “No wonder you finally had the guts to end it. You’re pregnant with Henry’s bastard.” 

Briana’s face darkened, her voice barely above a whisper. “Bastard? Really?” 

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Chapter 96 

‘He called my baby a bastard?‘ Briana thought, anger flaring inside her. 

She let out a cold, mocking laugh. 

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‘Shepard, this is your kid, but you’ll never know, Briana thought, her heart heavy with bitter irony. 

“When did you two hook up?” Shepard snarled, grabbing her chin and squeezing hard. “Was it a year ago? Six months? Or have you been seeing each other behind my back for way longer?” 

Briana just gave a careless shrug, her smile mocking. “Does it even matter to you, Shepard?” 

“Let me spell it out for you,” Shepard said, his finger just a breath away from this baby. Period.” 

“Why? You’re not the father, so you don’t get to decide,” Briana fired back. 

“I’m still your husband,” Shepard snapped. 

You have to get rid of 

“Our divorce process is almost done,” Briana retorted. “Very soon, we’ll have nothing to do with each other. We’ll be done for good.” 

Briana was playing with fire, pretending the baby was Henry’s just to keep Shepard from forcing her into an abortion. 

But she’d given him too much credit. 

Even when he wasn’t her husband or the baby’s father, Shepard was still just as controlling and impossible as 

ever. 

“Whether this baby’s mine or not, I’ll make sure it’s gone.” Shepard’s handsome face was twisted with ruthless coldness. “You want to keep it? Over my dead body!” 

Briana met his eyes, unwavering and fierce. “Shepard, if you want to take my baby, you’ll have to go through me first. Over my dead body.” 

She was going head–to–head with him now, refusing to back down. 

Nothing he did scared her–not his power, not his threats, nothing. 

But still… she ended up roping Henry into the mess. 

Briana inwardly apologized to Henry. 

But right now, she just couldn’t see any other way. 

The baby needed a father, even if it was just in name. 

It didn’t need Shepard as its father. 

Shepard raised his hand, his fingertips lingering as he traced over Briana’s cheek again and again, almost taunting her. 

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Chapter 96 

“Do you really think I don’t have it in me to kill you?” he said, voice low and menacing. 

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“Yeah,” Briana nodded, cool and steady. “If you really wanted me dead, you would’ve finished me off earlier. Why’d you let go?” 

Shepard’s gaze wavered for a moment. 

It hit him. Why did he let go? He couldn’t even answer that himself. 

When he saw Briana’s face contorted in agony, her struggles grew weaker by the second. He actually… felt his heart soften. 

He didn’t want her dead. 

Even if she died, what would that really change? 

Shepard was enlightened. If Briana weren’t in this world anymore, everything would just feel empty, like there was no point to anything. 

Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. 

He was going to keep her alive, just to torment her bit by bit, dragging out her suffering for as long as he could. 

‘Death? That’d be way too boring–no fun at all, he thought. 

With that thought, Shepard finally felt a sick sense of balance settle over him. 

She’d cheated on him, sneaking around with another man while they were married and even getting herself pregnant. He was going to make her regret every second of it. 

“Killing you outright? Where’s the fun in that?” Shepard sneered, his fingertips trailing down to Briana’s throat again, lingering with a cold threat. 

“We’ve got plenty of time, Briana. I’ll make sure you suffer–nice and slow,” he muttered. 

Briana felt her skin crawl, every hair on her body standing on end. 

It was like Shepard could reach out and choke her all over again at any moment. 

That suffocating feeling still clung to her, refusing to let go. 

Briana’s body shook, but she tried her best to keep it together, refusing to let him see her fear, 

“Time? What time are you even talking about?” Briana stammered, her voice trembling. “There’s nothing left between us.” 

Just what is he up to now?‘ Briana wondered, her heart racing, dread creeping in. 

Shepard gave a cold, mocking laugh, then bent down and picked up a bottle of pills from the chaos scattered across the floor. 

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