Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 219

But Briana had never been able to find any proof. 

Today, she finally got her hands on some. 

“Shepard!” Briana yelled. 

પાક વધાર 

“Alright, alright, I’m here,” Shepard said, gently patting her back and pulling her into his arms. “Don’t get so worked up first thing in the morning. You’re pregnant, baby.” 

Briana pushed against his chest. “Why are you here so early?” 

“I just wanted to see you,” he replied. 

“You…” Briana stammered, at a loss for words. 

Shepard smiled softly, his expression gentle. “The weather’s great today, clear skies all around. Briana, that place you wanted to go yesterday? I can spend the whole day with you there.” 

He smoothly changed the subject, subtly steering Briana’s attention away from what had upset her. 

Briana was still groggy from just waking up, and without thinking, she went along with his words. “You’re not going to the office?” 

“I can take the day off,” Shepard said with a smile. 

“I still need to stop by Dreamscape Gallery…” Briana replied. 

“No problem. We’ll hit the gallery first, grab some lunch, and then I’ll stick with you for the rest of the day,” Shepard promised. 

Shepard had the whole day planned out, making sure everything was taken care of. 

Briana blinked, and then nodded. “Alright, so… huh?” 

“That’s settled then,” Shepard declared, cutting Briana off before she could protest. 

He hopped out of bed, not giving her a chance to argue. 

In the dining room. 

The servants had prepared a lavish breakfast. 

Charles was digging in, clearly enjoying every bite. 

When he spotted Briana, he waved her over. “Come on, come on, this is amazing. I’m about to burst… Thanks to you, the food at home has leveled up like crazy.” 

From cooking to cleaning to the security at the front gate, all the staff had been swapped out for fresh faces. 

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Chapter 219 

Each one was quick, capable, and not the chatty type. 

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And since Briana was pregnant, extra care was taken with her diet to make sure everything was super nutritious. 

Charles was noticeably getting chubbier. 

Charles started gossiping again, “Hey, Briana, I saw the news. Both your paintings sold? And for six figures each… That’s wild. 

“If this keeps up, your art’s gonna be worth more and more. Millions, tens of millions, maybe even hundreds of millions. Damn, who needs a company when you can make bank like this?” 

“And…” Charles was about to say more, but Briana cut him off. 

She said, “Can you just eat quietly?” 

“Come on, we’re family! What’s the fun in sitting here all quiet?” Charles said with a grin. “Right, Shepard?” 

Shepard just gave a noncommittal nod. 

Charles drained his glass of milk and got to his feet. “Alright, you two take your time. I’m off to Dreamscape Corporation. Briana, you just focus on your art and running the gallery. 

“Leave the company stuff to me. I’m stepping up now, and with Shepard steering the ship, we’re bound to make a splash!” 

He was all in for Shepard now. 

Shepard had paid off his gambling debts, rescued him from the casino thugs, helped him sort out his bankruptcy mess, and was head over heels for his sister. With a brother–in–law like that, Charles would never complain. 

Briana shot him a look. 

‘Typical Charles, always jumping on the winning team,‘ she thought. 

“See ya!” Charles called out. 

Charles made his exit with a flourish. 

Shepard was always with Briana, never leaving her side. 

No matter where she went, he was always right there with her. 

By the time Briana finished up her work, it was already afternoon. 

She stood in the parking lot outside Dreamscape Gallery, looking at Shepard. “Can you take me there?” 

“Sure,” Shepard replied. 

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Chapter 219 

“I’ll give you directions,” Briana said as she walked over to the passenger seat. “Get in the car.” 

She slid into the car. 

Now, it was just Briana and Shepard. 

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They drove out of the bustling city, and soon the countryside stretched out endlessly on both sides. 

Daylight faded, and night slowly crept in. 

After driving for over two hours, they finally pulled up to their destination. 

It was a cliffside, overlooking the mountains. 

The view stretched out in every direction, with mountains all around and the sound of the wind blowing from far away. 

Briana stood right at the edge. 

Briana gazed into the distance. “After the art show yesterday, I just wanted to come here. 

“I needed to feel the wind, chill out for a bit, get away from all the hustle and bustle, all the drama, and just be by myself for a while. 

“I used to come here alone, whenever I was feeling down, couldn’t figure things out, or just had nowhere else to go… This place always helped me let go and just breathe.” 

She let out a bitter laugh. “I can’t just keep going to my parents‘ graves every time I’m feeling low. If I show too often, they’d be so worried about me, thinking I’m not doing okay.” 

The wind blew her hair around. 

She tucked it behind her ear. 

Shepard stood beside her. “From now on, whenever you want to come here, I’ll be with you.” 

“I hope I never have to come here again,” Briana replied. “Because if I do, it means I’m not happy.” 

Out here in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else around, she could finally clear her mind and be real with herself. 

But this time, she’d asked Shepard to come with her. 

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She wanted to see if it felt better having someone by her side, or if coming here alone was still the way to go. 

If having Shepard around made her feel stressed out, she’d just stop bringing him here, period. 

Briana walked over and opened up the trunk. 

She started pitching the tent and setting out the chairs. 

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Shepard took the gear from her hands. “I’ve got this.” 

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Shepard had always lived an easy life. He just needed to say the word and someone would handle everything for him. 

So he’d never actually done this kind of thing himself before. 

But he was smart and good with his hands, so he picked it up fast and had everything set up in no time. 

The tent was set up, blocking out the wind. 

On the little table, Briana had laid out coffee, while the stove burned steadily, flames dancing in the firelight. 

They set up two chairs right next to each other. 

The two of them sat side by side, sharing the peaceful moment. 

At first, Shepard sat up straight, trying to keep it formal, but he couldn’t hold back for long. Soon enough, he reached out and slipped his arm around Briana’s shoulders. 

He gently pulled her into his embrace, testing to see how she’d react. 

“It’s pretty windy,” he said, his voice soft. “Come closer, and you’ll be warmer.” 

Briana didn’t pull away. Instead, she tilted her head and rested it on his shoulder. 

Shepard was over the moon. 

He thought, ‘Is she finally starting to let me in? 

‘Looks like I’ve really got a chance! 

‘See? If you just keep at it, good things really do happen. 

‘Briana brought me to her secret base. She’s actually letting me in. 

‘I need to do better and let her see how genuine my feelings are. 

Shepard pulled her closer, then leaned in and gently rested his head against hers. 

The whole valley was quiet and dim. 

But the silence felt strangely peaceful. 

Shepard felt a kind of calm in his heart that he’d never experienced before. 

It was only in moments like this that they could really think things through. 

“Shepard,” Briana called out quietly. 

“Mm, I’m here,” Shepard answered. 

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“If Henry hadn’t sent that letter, and if I wasn’t carrying this baby… would you really have let me go? Would you have stopped chasing after me?” Briana asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“Mm,” Shepard replied again. 

“Who do you love, me, or this child?” Briana asked quietly. 

“I love you, and I love this baby,” Shepard answered, his voice gentle. “That’s why I can’t just run away. I need to take responsibility for both of you. Giving up would be easy, Briana.” 

Staying and fighting for them was the hard part. 

But he was ready to take it all on, no matter how tough it got. 

AD