Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 236

Chapter 236 

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Camila nodded. “If that’s how it is, Mr. Lane, you need to step in and help out. Keep stressing how deeply Mr. Carter loves Mrs. Carter, how responsible he is, and how much he cares about her. 

“Then, reveal the misdiagnosis. Once that’s out in the open, wouldn’t that bring them even closer together?” 

“Yeah, exactly.” Charles agreed, then asked, “But what if Briana decides to hide it?” 

Camila said, “Then you pretend you happened to discover her heart condition and tell Mr. Carter. 

“He’ll go straight to Mrs. Carter himself, insisting she needs to terminate the pregnancy to protect her life. That’s so cool.” 

Charles finally understood the whole plan. 

“Camila, you really are something else,” Charles said, full of admiration. “How do you always come up with these genius ideas?” 

“It’s always easier for outsiders to see things clearly. But at the end of the day, if they don’t truly love each other, none of these tricks will matter. 

“Even the best plans won’t do a thing if there’s no real feeling between them,” Camila sighed. 

Love was what mattered most. Now, it was all up to Briana. Once Briana took action, Charles could follow. 

Charles was practically breaking his head trying to figure out how to make Briana and Shepard happy. 

The sky was getting darker. The lights in the hospital room came on. The bright white light and the snow–white walls made Briana’s face look even paler. 

“Briana? Briana?” Charles tried again, calling her name. 

A familiar, magnetic male voice whispered softly in her ear. 

Briana responded instinctively, her voice barely audible, “Yes.” 

“Are you awake? Wake up,” he whispered, his tone low and gentle. “Don’t sleep anymore.” 

Briana’s brows furrowed unconsciously. 

His rough fingertips brushed over her brows, smoothing out the crease with gentle strokes. 

“I’m right here. Don’t frown,” he said softly. “Open your eyes, Briana. No more sleeping. Let’s go home now. Didn’t you say you hated hospitals?” 

With his soft, encouraging voice in her ear, Briana’s lashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing Briana saw was Shepard. 

When Shepard noticed his own reflection in her eyes, he couldn’y help but smile a little. 

He gently stroked her cheek. “You’ve been asleep all afternoon.” 

Briana stared at him, her gaze still hazy, sleepiness lingering on her face. 

After about ten seconds, she finally started to wake up. “Where am I?” she murmured. 

“You’re in a hospital room,” Shepard replied. “You fainted, Briana.” 

11:03 Sat, Feb 14 

Chapter 236 

Briana’s eyes suddenly widened. She sat up abruptly. She looked around. It really was a hospital room. 

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‘How did I end up in the hospital?‘ she wondered. ‘Why am I even here? And why is Shepard here? Are they really going to make me terminate the pregnancy and force me into heart surgery, just to keep me alive? 

‘No way! It’s my life, my baby. I’m the only one who gets to decide!‘ 

“I’m checking out. I’m leaving right now,” Briana said, flinging off the covers and swinging her legs off the bed. “I won’t agree to this, absolutely not! No one can convince me, and no one can change my decision!” 

Shepard stared at her, stunned by her reaction. “Briana?” he called out. 

“Don’t call my name! And don’t try to talk sense into me!” Briana snapped, not even glancing back. “I’m not listening!” 

She clapped her hands over her ears and made a dash for the door. 

But she barely made it two steps before her vision swam, everything went dark, and her legs nearly gave out. 

Before she could collapse, Shepard caught her and wrapped her in his arms, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. 

“Briana, were you having a bad dream?” Shepard’s voice was gentle. “You’re awake now. This is real. Look, I’m right here, holding you.” 

He thought she was still stuck in a bad dream and hadn’t really woken up yet. 

Briana was taken aback. 

He didn’t respond to anything she’d just said, didn’t even seem to notice. 

‘So she wondered, her thoughts spinning. ‘Did he really not understand? Does that mean Shepard still doesn’t know about my heart condition?‘ 

Briana bit down on her lip, using the sharp sting to force herself to stay calm. She steadied herself, then looked up at Shepard. 

Shepard was already looking at her, his gaze filled with nothing but tenderness 

“Why did I faint?” Briana asked. “And why are you here?” 

Shepard looked at her, worry in his voice. “Briana, I should be asking you. How did you end up fainting?” 

She fumbled for an answer, but nothing came out, 

After a while, she finally managed, “I really don’t know. I walked out of the hospital, the sunlight was blinding, and then everything went dark. When I came to, the first thing I saw was you.” 

She paused, then asked quietly, “Did the doctor say anything?” 

“The doctor didn’t say much. She just said it might be due to emotional stress,” Shepard replied. “Briana, what happened?” 

Hearing that, Briana was sure that he still had no idea about her heart condition. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

‘I can still keep it from him, she thought. ‘I can go through with this pregnancy, all the way until the baby is born 

“I don’t know. I–I wasn’t even upset,” Briana murmured, lowering her eyes, trying to hide her feelings. “It just happened so suddenly. I’m still out of it.” 

As she spoke, she nestled herself into Shepard’s arms. 

11:03 Sat, Feb 14 

Chapter 236 

Seeing her so tiny and pitiful, so easy to feel sorry for, Shepard felt his heart ache even more for her. 

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“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the hospital?” Shepard said, with a hint of reproach in his voice. 

But then he caught himself, realizing he was being a bit too harsh. “I mean, I could’ve come with you, so you’d have someone with you.” 

“I just came to get my prenatal report. It’s such a small thing, I can totally handle it myself. Why would I need you to tag along?” Briana sniffled. “I’m not a little kid.” 

“Pregnancy test report?” Shepard echoed, his voice low and thoughtful. 

When one cared too much, one’s judgment got clouded. But even then, Shepard managed to keep his head clear. 

She had come to the hospital all by herself, picked up the results, and then collapsed right outside the entrance. The doctor said it was probably because Briana got too worked up. 

‘So what exactly pushed Briana over the edge?‘ Shepard thought to himself. From the looks of it, it had to be that report. 

Shepard’s gaze grew sharp and focused. “Briana, where’s the report?” 

He needed to see it for himself. If she refused to hand it over, that would mean he was right. 

But Briana replied calmly, “It’s in my bag, you can check for yourself. The doctor said the baby is healthy and developing well. Didn’t I tell you before? The doctor told me to maintain my current state.” 

Shepard immediately turned, opened her bag, and took out the report, carefully reading through every page and line. Everything looked normal. 

Briana watched him quietly. 

His broad–shouldered frame gave him a commanding presence in the hospital room. 

The window was right behind him. 

Night had already fallen, and the city outside was aglow with neon lights, day after day, month after month. But Briana wouldn’t be around to see many more sunrises and sunsets. 

But even knowing that, she was set on having this baby. 

The reason was simple.