Love Burnt Baby Stayed (by Nina R.Calder) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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Seeing Shepard’s expression, Briana knew he didn’t remember, just as she had expected.

Shepard pressed his lips together, did the math, and realized they’d actually been living together for five

years.

He didn’t think those years had dragged on; if anything, they’d flown by so quickly that it almost felt unreal to him. ‘Has it really been five years?‘ he wondered.

Briana smiled, “Let’s also celebrate the fact that, on our fifth anniversary, we’ve decided to end this draining marriage.” Her smile faltered as tears shimmered in her eyes.

She brought out the cake she’d prepared earlier. She’d made it herself, from the cake layers to the frosting and even the fruit on top. Every single part was crafted by her hands.

The cake was covered in a thick layer of mangoes. Briana was allergic to mangoes. Just eating them would give her blisters in her mouth, and touching them would leave her hands covered in itchy bumps. But Shepard loved mangoes.

He’d seen her have an allergic reaction before, but he had never really cared. The next day, there would be mangoes on the table again.

Today, Briana had put on gloves and carefully peeled and sliced the mangoes herself, pouring all her love into every piece.

She had imagined that when she presented the cake, Shepard’s icy gaze would finally soften. But it was nothing but her own wishful thinking.

Briana sliced off a small piece and handed it to him. Just then, his phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, his expression instantly softened.

“Hey, Vivian,” he said.

“I just landed, Shepard,” Vivian’s cheerful voice came through the phone. “Are you coming to pick me up?”

Before Shepard could answer, she added sweetly, “It’s okay if you can’t, I can just take a cab.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t your flight supposed to be tomorrow?”

“I changed my flight, so I came back early. Shepard, I miss you so much. I just couldn’t wait another day to see you,” Vivian said, her voice full of longing.

Shepard smiled, his voice low and magnetic. “I’m on my way to the airport right now.” He hung up and turned to leave.

Briana was still holding the slice of cake. “Please, just have a bite,” she said, forcing herself to sound calm despite the lump in her throat. But Shepard didn’t even slow down.

She took a deep breath. “I made it myself.”

Shepard replied coldly, “I don’t have time.” He was in a hurry to pick up Vivian and didn’t want to waste a single second.

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Briana bit her lip. “Shepard, would it actually kill you to see Vivian one second later?”

That did the trick. Shepard spun around, his glare sharp enough to slice through steel.

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After a few seconds, he stormed back, ripped the plate from her hands, and smashed it down onto the cake with brutal force.

The cake was obliterated, becoming a total mess. The words “Happy Fifth Anniversary” vanished in an instant. Still fuming, Shepard kicked the whole thing off the table for good measure.

The door slammed shut behind him as he walked away.

Briana looked down at the cake scattered across the floor. It was all in ruins, just like her life and marriage. She’d always wanted to ask Shepard if he’d ever loved her, but she was terrified his answer would become the nightmare she’d never wake from.

But she couldn’t forget that year, when he’d looked her in the eye and said, “You’ll always have me.” Those words became the one thing she clung to, her only certainty in a world that kept falling apart.

When Briana was ten, her parents were gone for good. They died in a tragic car accident while on a business trip, leaving her and her older brother, Charles, behind.

Briana’s uncle, Edward, stepped in to take over the Lane family business. Though he claimed it was just temporary, everyone knew he was really taking it for himself.

At the funeral, Briana stood there dressed in black, staring blankly at her parents‘ portraits. She’d cried herself numb. Charles, a head taller but only in his early teens, stood by her side, just as lost.

That was when Shepard appeared. He was the same age as Charles, even in the same class. Tall and slender, he followed the Carter family into the funeral hall.

Evelyn tried to comfort Wrenley, Briana’s grandmother. The two had been comrades in their youth, their friendship running deep and true all those years. Wrenley had just lost her eldest son and daughter–in–law, and the grief had aged her ten years overnight.

“They’re gone, just like that, leaving behind two children. Briana’s only ten,” Wrenley sighed, her voice heavy with sorrow. “How are we supposed to go on?”

Evelyn’s eyes lingered on Briana, sizing her up. “Why not let Briana be Shepard’s wife in the future? They’ve known each other since they were kids. It’s a perfect match.”

G

Just like that, their marriage was set in stone. Shepard didn’t say a word against it. As he was leaving, he pressed a mango–flavored candy into Briana’s palm.

“From now on, you may not have your parents, but you’ll always have me,” he said. His lean build and clear eyes, already promising future handsome features, sent a quiet ripple through her.

She believed every word. She really did, until Vivian showed up.

At first, Vivian didn’t affect Briana and Shepard. Vivian was just a total bookworm, quiet and always hiding behind her thick–rimmed glasses. She kept such a low key that Briana barely even registered her existence. But then, a fire changed everything.

One day, the sports equipment room mysteriously caught fire. Shepard was inside alone, picking out gear,

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when he got trapped by the flames. Without a second thought, Vivian dashed in and dragged him to safety.

She literally snatched Shepard back from the jaws of death, but the smoke left her with damaged lungs. From then on, she’d developed a chronic cough, and her voice lost its clear ring, turning rough and raspy.

After that, Shepard and Vivian grew much closer.

After Briana graduated from college, both the Carter and Lane families were ready to make the marriage happen. But Shepard confronted Briana and tried to call off the engagement. He wanted to be with Vivian

instead.

Briana refused. She hadn’t even been at school when the fire broke out, but if she had, she would’ve risked her life for him with no hesitation.

In the end, Shepard was forced to marry Briana, and he shipped Vivian off overseas. Now, five years had passed by, Not only did Briana never win Shepard’s heart, but she only made him resent her more with cach passing year.

Briana crouched down, grabbing fistfuls of cake and shoving them into her mouth. The cake tasted sweet, but the tears streaming down her face were bitterly salty.

That night, Shepard didn’t come home. Briana sat at the table, drafting the divorce agreement. She stayed there the whole night, but not a single word came out.

Money was never what she was after. She knew that maybe she’d never have the one thing she truly wanted, no matter how hard she tried.

Briana was woken up by her phone ringing. She realized she’d dozed off at the table, and it was already morning.

“Hello?” she mumbled sleepily.

“Meet me at the courthouse in half an hour,” Shepard said. “Bring your divorce agreement.”

Briana blinked, staring at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. She gave a soft “mm” in response.

Shepard added, “Don’t tell anyone.” He was worried Briana might go to Evelyn. If Evelyn got involved, there was no way they’d be able to get divorced.

“Don’t worry,” Briana said. “I won’t bother you anymore. Not now, not ever.”

Shepard paused for a couple of seconds. “That better be true.”

Until he had the divorce decree, he was always on edge, worried Briana might back out and ruin everything. He’d kept Vivian waiting for five years already, and he wasn’t about to make her wait any longer.

Briana grabbed a divorce agreement online, barely bothered to tweak it, printed it out, and signed her

name.

As she was slipping on her shoes at the door, the housekeeper, Daniel White, asked, “Mrs. Carter, where are

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you off to so early?”

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After marrying Shepard, Briana gave up her job and everything she wanted, just to make him the center of her life. Her world was almost comically small: home, Carter Group, or the Carter or Lane residences to keep the elders company.

She’d nearly forgotten she used to be a star student at Aetherton University, a top domestic university. She was even chosen to give the graduation speech as the student representative.

Briana thought, ‘I spent five years staying at home and playing the perfect wife, but what did I get? His contempt.‘ She smiled, “I’m going to say goodbye to the old me.”

She was done loving someone who’d never love her back. This time, she was going to live for herself.

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