Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 237

Chapter 237 

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Even if Briana chose surgery over keeping the baby, there was no guarantee she’d live much longer. At best, she’d get a few more years, maybe a decade. No one would choose that. 

But if Briana gave birth, the baby could take her place, continuing her life’s cycle. The baby would have a brand new life, a healthy body. 

Briana couldn’t take away her baby’s right to come into this world. Besides, she had already lost a child before. 

The hospital room was quiet. The only thing you could hear was the sound of pages turning. 

“I’ve finished reading,” Shepard said, closing the report. “There’s really nothing wrong.” 

Briana tugged at her lips, forcing a smile. “I’ve told you already. Why don’t you believe me?” 

He didn’t answer. Instead, he walked up to her and gripped her shoulders firmly. He locked eyes with her, his expression grave. Briana instinctively tried to look away from him. 

“Don’t turn away,” Shepard said. “Briana, I’ve got something to say to you.” 

She forced herself to meet his gaze. “What’s wrong? Can we talk about it when we get home? I just want to go home. The disinfectant smell here is overwhelming. I really hate it.” 

“Just one thing,” Shepard replied. 

Briana nervously bit the inside of her lip and nodded. 

Shepard let out a sigh. “No matter what you go through, good or bad, I want you to think of me first. Share it with me, and tell me everything. 

“Don’t carry it all by yourself. Briana, we’re not just husband and wife. We’re in this together, for better or worse.” 

As Shepard finished speaking, Briana felt her heart sink, heavy with the weight of his words. 

It was not like Briana ever wanted to carry all this by herself. All she wanted was to run into Shepard’s arms and cry her heart 

out. 

Briana wasn’t dealing with some everyday issue. 

This was literally life or death. If she chose to live, her baby wouldn’t make it. If she gave up her own life, her baby would survive. 

But her rational mind kept telling her she couldn’t do it. She knew that if it came down to it, Shepard would always choose to save her, not the baby. 

No one would stand by her. Everyone loved her and wanted nothing but the best for her. 

Briana kept replaying the pain in her mind, chewing over it again and again. 

But in the end, she acted like nothing was wrong and said, “Yeah I’m fine now. As for fainting, maybe I skipped lunch, or maybe I was rushing around too much.” 

Shepard kept his eyes fixed on her. Someone as smart as him could easily tell she was lying. But he simply chose not to expose her. 

If Briana wouldn’t open up, then Shepard would have to dig deeper himself. 

11:03 Sat, Feb 14 

Chapter 237 

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The pregnancy checkup shows nothing unusual, so where is the real problem?‘ he wondered. That was what Shepard kept turning over in his mind. 

Outside the hospital room, Charles pressed his ear to the door, straining to catch every word inside. 

‘Briana chose to keep it from him,’ Charles thought. ‘She has always been tough and independent, and after all these years, she still hasn’t changed. Luckily, it’s all fiction.” 

If any of this were real, it would absolutely break Charles’s heart. 

‘Why does she always have to carry everything alone?‘ Charles sighed to himself. ‘If she ever faces another tough situation, Briana will definitely end up swallowing it all by herself again.‘ 

As soon as Charles heard footsteps coming his way, he quickly stood up and bolted, ducking into the stairwell to hide. 

The hospital room door swung open. 

Shepard walked out with his arm around Briana’s waist. 

They walked at an easy pace, like a married couple out for a stroll. 

Charles peeked his head out, acting all sneaky. 

‘Guess it’s my turn to take action, he thought. ‘How am I supposed to find out about Briana’s heart problem, and how do I let Shepard know?‘ 

He needed to think this through. Besides, Charles was never good at keeping secrets. 

He wanted to spill everything tonight. He couldn’t wait even one more night. He was so restless, itching to come clean right 

away. 

On the drive back to Evergreen Estate, Briana barely said a word. She stared out the window, her face calm but with a hint of sadness in her eyes. It was obvious she had something on her mind, something serious. 

‘What on earth happened to make her faint right outside the hospital, and she won’t say a thing about it?‘ Shepard was wracking his brain, trying to make sense of it all. 

Nothing ever got past him, but when it came to Briana, he always got flustered. 

The drive home was silent; neither of them said a word. 

They got home, went upstairs, washed up, and went to bed. 

Briana was curled up in bed. Shepard was crashing on the couch. It was so quiet that one could even hear the soft whoosh of the wind outside. 

***** 

Outside the bedroom door, Charles raised his hand to knock, then dropped it. He tried again, and again, but couldn’t bring 

himself to knock. 

After a few more tries, he clicked his tongue in frustration, with his hands behind his back, feeling restless and anxious. 

‘Will what I’ve come up with even work?‘ Charles wondered. ‘Should I ask Camila for advice? But it’s so late. She’s probably already asleep. 

On the couch, Shepard shifted, the sound of his movement breaking the silence. He lay on his side, quietly watching Briana as she lay in bed. 

11:03 Sat, Feb 14 

Chapter 237 

Her eyes were closed, completely still, her breathing steady, but Shepard knew she wasn’t really asleep. 

“Briana.” Shepard’s voice was soft, almost a whisper. Just as he expected, she didn’t answer. 

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But Shepard didn’t let that stop him. He kept talking anyway, his tone gentle but earnest. “Briana, I’m tired of playing this guessing game. 

“Can you be straight with me? What really happened to you today? Please, tell me the truth. You did a good job hiding it, but I still noticed. 

“The pregnancy checkup came back normal, so what’s really wrong? Let me help carry the load, let me protect you. Can you trust me, completely? Without holding anything back?” 

He added, “Even if you don’t love me, you should still trust me absolutely, no matter what.” 

Her eyes stayed shut as tears slowly trailed from the corners, soaking into her hair. 

‘He’s right,‘ she thought. ‘I should trust him. He’s the one I should have leaned on. Whether by law or by love, Shepard is the one I should confide in.’ 

Briana was in a really bad place emotionally; it felt like a huge weight was crushing her chest, and she could barely breathe. 

No matter how many times she tried to calm herself with deep breaths, nothing worked. 

Shepard let out a long sigh, the sound clear in the darkness of the bedroom. Silence settled over the room once more. 

‘Looks like Briana still isn’t going to say anything,‘ he wondered. 

“Briana, I could look into it myself,” Shepard said quietly. “But honestly, I’d much rather hear it straight from you than have to investigate on my own.” 

There was no way she could keep it from him for much longer. 

Once Shepard set his mind to it, finding out the truth was only a matter of time. 

Briana couldn’t hold back her tears. They fell freely, soaking her pillow. 

She didn’t dare make a sound, not even a single sniff; all she could do was let the tears fall in silence, weeping in the darkness of midnight. 

Her husband was right there. 

Outside the bedroom, Charles couldn’t take it anymore and finally knocked on the door. The frantic knocking broke the quiet in the bedroom. 

“Who is it?” Shepard called out. He got up, slipped on his slippers, and went to open the door. 

“It’s me!” Charles called out. “Open up, quick! It’s urgent!” 

As soon as the door opened, Charles blurted out, “Where’s Briana?” 

“She’s sleeping,” Shepard replied. 

Charles didn’t hesitate. He walked right in.