Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 248

Chapter 248 

5 vouchons 

“Doctor, Shepard said, “just tell us what’s going on. My wife and I can handle it, and we’ll cooperate fully with any treatment you recommend.” 

The doctor didn’t even look up. “Just a moment.” 

After what felt like forever, the doctor finally put away the test results and medical chart. 

He looked at Briana. “Mrs. Carter, there’s nothing wrong with your heart.” 

“Wait, what?‘ Briana thought, stunned. ‘Did he really say nothing’s wrong? 

This news shocked Shepard and Briana even more than if the doctor had told them there was a problem. 

They both questioned if they’d heard correctly. 

‘Did I mishear?” Briana thought. ‘Or maybe there was a mistake in the test?” 

Briana was stunned for a long moment before she finally managed to speak, her voice hoarse and shaky. “So, I don’t have any heart problems? Is that what you’re saying, Doctor?” 

“Yeah,” the doctor replied. 

Shepard asked again, his voice tight with disbelief. “Are you sure, Doctor? Could there have been a mistake?” 

The doctor flipped through the test results again. 

“Based on all the test results, Mrs. Carter’s heart is completely normal. There’s absolutely no sign of any disease,” the doctor replied. “I kept checking and rechecking because, honestly, I couldn’t believe it myself. 

“I thought maybe something was off. But the results are right here. The numbers don’t lie.” 

Shepard and Briana exchanged glances. 

This is so strange, Briana thought. ‘If my heart’s fine, then why did the doctor find a problem during my prenatal checkup? Was it just a misdiagnosis? 

‘Or maybe they mixed up my records with someone else’s?‘ 

The doctor added, “If you don’t believe it, Mrs. Carter, you can have another examination if you wish.” 

Briana was about to respond when Charles cut in. “No need, Doctor. Thank you. Uh, I need to have a quick word with them.” 

The doctor nodded, understanding. “Alright, I’ll head back to my office and discuss these results with my colleagues to see if we can figure out what’s going on.” 

“Okay,” Charles said. 

Charles showed the doctor out and then closed the door to the hospital room. 

Briana looked at him, puzzled. “Charles, what are you doing?” 

“I need to talk to you guys,” Charles said. 

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Chapter 248 

“About what?” Briana asked. 

Charles rubbed his hands together nervously. He glanced at Briana, then at Shepard. 

Shepard remained silent. But his gaze was deep and shadowed. It was as if Shepard had already caught on to something 

Charles looked away, a guilty look flickering across his face. 

He cleared his throat and fidgeted with his hands. “Well, actually, uh, honestly, I don’t even know where to begin.” 

“Just say it already,” Briana said, her patience wearing thin. “Why are you beating around the bush?” 

Charles swallowed nervously. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise you won’t get mad.” 

“Mad?” Briana echoed. 

‘What reason would I have to get upset out of nowhere?‘ she wondered. 

Briana was extra cautious about her health lately. She knew stress could take a real toll on her body. She was making sure to keep herself in a good mood. 

Briana thought for a second, then asked, “Did you mess up again?” 

“No,” Charles waved his hands. “I’ve been keeping my nose clean lately.” 

Briana wasn’t convinced. “Did you lose money gambling or something?” 

“No way,” Charles said. 

“Did you knock up some girl?” Briana asked, her voice rising. 

“I haven’t even had a single girl around me lately!” Charles protested. 

Briana pressed on. “So you must’ve ticked someone off then?” 

Charles hesitated, then asked cautiously, “Does making you mad count?” 

“Me?” Briana looked surprised. 

“Yeah,” Charles nodded. “But I wouldn’t really call it offending you.” 

Briana was completely confused, totally lost in what Charles was saying. 

‘What is he even talking about?‘ Briana wondered, still clueless. 

Then Shepard cut in, “Did you mess with Briana’s heart report?” 

He went straight to the point. 

Charles saw that Shepard had figured it out and quickly nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.” 

Briana stared at him, dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open. 

It took her a while to find her voice. “Which report did you tamper with? The one just now, or the original one?” 

“Of course, the original one,” Charles replied. “And I bribed the doctor.” 

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9:10 am P p pa 

Chapter 248 

5 vouchers 

“You bribed the doctor?” Briana’s thoughts finally started to clear. “So you planned all of this? My heart is actually fine, I don’t need surgery, and I never had to terminate the pregnancy.” 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right! Oh, Briana, you’re just too smart. You figured it out in a second! Amazing! Brilliant! Outstanding!” 

Briana was so shocked that her jaw nearly hit the floor. 

She’d spent days terrified, crying herself hoarse, feeling like her whole world had collapsed, as if there was no light at the end of the tunnel, just endless pain and despair. 

And in the end, it was all just a lie. 

‘Fake. All of it was fake!‘ Briana thought. 

“Why?” Briana demanded. “Charles, why did you do this? Did seeing me so heartbroken make you happy?” 

“Come on, I want nothing more than for you to be happy!” Charles protested. 

“And then, what was the point of all this?” Briana asked. 

Charles rubbed his nose. “I wanted you and Mr. Carter to really be together. After everything that’s happened, you’d finally see who loves you most, who cares about you, and who’s always going to be there for you.” 

Briana didn’t know if she should laugh or explode. 

“This is insane!‘ she thought and couldn’t help but sigh. She pointed at Charles, completely speechless for a long moment. 

Charles started rambling, “I could see how much you and Mr. Carter love each other, but you couldn’t seem to make it work. It was driving me nuts. 

“Then, when you had your prenatal checkup, I came up with this half–baked plan.” 

He added, “I bribed the doctor, messed with the report, and cooked up that whole drama about your heart being in trouble and needing to end the pregnancy. Turns out, it actually worked! Look at you two now. You’re practically glued together!” 

“Sure, these past few days have been rough for you, scared, stressed, and on edge, but from now on, it’s all happiness. You and Mr. Carter can finally be together, live your best life, and welcome the new baby. 

“No more fighting, no more pushing each other away. Finding someone you truly love is so rare. Cherish the moment, cherish the people around you.” 

Charles kept earnestly persuading her, pouring his heart out. While he kept persuading her, he edged closer to the door. He wanted to move nearer to the door, so he could bolt if things went south. 

Charles continued, “Anyway, that’s the whole story. I’ve explained everything as clearly as I can, right? If you want to blame me, go ahead, I’ll take the blame. Briana, try to stay calm. You’re pregnant, so don’t let yourself get too upset. 

“Uh, I’ve got something to do, so I’m heading out. I won’t be home for dinner these next few days, so don’t wait up or bother saving me a seat! See you!” 

With that, Charles bolted out of the hospital room like a gust of wind. He didn’t even bother to close the door behind him. 

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