Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 13

Chapter 13 

The thought made a cold sweat break out on Charles’s skin. 

He scrambled for the consent form, but it was covered in medical terms and legalese. He couldn’t make sense of it, and his mind was too restless to focus. 

Just then, a nurse walked by. 

He stopped her. “Excuse me, could you tell me what kind of procedure this is for?” he asked, handing her 

the form. 

The nurse took it and glanced over it. “Didn’t they explain this to you when you signed?” 

“They did. I just wasn’t listening closely,” he admitted. 

She’d made it sound minor, and he hadn’t thought much of it. But as he sat alone outside the operating room now, it finally struck him that this might be more serious than Briana had described. 

“It’s a procedure to remove the baby,” the nurse said. “Are you the patient’s-” 

Before she could finish, Charles’s voice cut through the quiet hallway, sharp with disbelief. “Remove the baby? She’s here for a pregnancy termination? Are you sure?” 

Charles’s mind was reeling. ‘What is she thinking? This isn’t just a baby she’s losing. It’s our ticket to the Carter fortune, the Carter family’s future, their heir 

He was furious that Briana had kept something so vital a secret, passing it off as a mere uterine polyp. And he’d come dangerously close to believing her. 

A cold panic took hold as he wondered, ‘Is it too late? Can I still stop this? Have they already started?‘ 

He broke into a cold sweat and tore down the hall toward the operating room, but the doors were shut tight. There was no getting in. 

But the truth dawned on him then. Even if he shouted himself hoarse, it would change nothing. He was on his own, and he had no power to intervene. 

With that thought in mind, he pulled out his phone, quickly calling Shepard. 

While waiting for Shepard to answer, he kept pounding on the heavy operating room door. 

“Open this door! I’m her brother, and I do not consent to this surgery. You need to stop right now!” he shouted. 

When there was no response, he continued, “Do you hear me? This procedure cannot happen. That baby must be protected. Doctor! Briana! Can anyone hear me?” 

Briana was already on the operating table. 

The surgical lights blazed down. Inside, she felt a strange, unshakable peace. 

Everything was ready, and the anesthesiologist was about to begin. 

1/3 

Chapter 1 

10 vouchers 

That was when they heard a sudden, Frantic pounding erupt at the door, followed by Charles’s desperate eries from the hallway. 

The doctor and anesthesiologist shared a look and then turned their attention to Briana, who had just closed her eyes. 

“Keep going” she said, her voice steady. “Ignore him.” 

“Are you certain?” the doctor asked. 

“Yes. My body, my choice,” she replied firmly. 

The doctor gave a slow nod. “Alright.” 

The baby with no heartbeat had to be removed in the first place, and any delay would only risk her health 

further. 

The sedative pulled her under. Within moments, Briana was gone, lost to a dreamless slumber. 

Charles’s shouts echoed uselessly down the sterile hall. From behind the operating room doors, there was only silence. 

At that moment, the line clicked. Shepard’s voice came through, a single flat word. “Hello?” 

“Shepard, your wife…” Charles quickly said. 

“We’re divorced,” Shepard cut in, as if stating a simple fact. 

“Right, Mr. Carter. Something’s happened to Briana,” Charles corrected himself. “It’s urgent. You need to get to the hospital now. She’s-” 

“What is it this time?” Shepard’s tone was bone–chillingly calm. “Another stunt? Another cut?” 

The question hung in the air, leaving Charles momentarily speechless. 

“I knew it wouldn’t end cleanly,” Shepard said, his voice heavy with weary certainty. The papers are signed, and now the show begins. 

“If she dies, call me to arrange the burial, a final gesture for five years of marriage. If she lives, don’t call me again.” His response was pure disdain, his voice utterly cold. 

He’d admired the clean break she made with the divorce, but this new stunt was quickly changing his 

mind. 

‘She hasn’t changed at all, still willing to do anything, no matter how desperate, just to get attention, he thought. 

Without waiting for Charles’s reply, he was ready to hang up. 

“No, that’s not it,” Charles said urgently. “She’s pregnant. Mr. Carter, the baby has to be yours. This is your heir. You can’t let her just get rid of it.” 

Shepard went completely still, the phone held tight in his hand. 

2/13 

Charles rushed on, the words tumbling out. “She’s in the operating room now. They’re removing the baby.” 

Chapter 14