Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 249

Posted by Adminj, ? Views, Released on February 16, 2026

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Chapter 249

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Briana couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. She was frustrated that Charles had tricked her.

But seeing Charles being such a goofball, and realizing she was healthy and her baby could stay safe and sound in her belly, she suddenly felt like everything in the world was just right.

Briana stomped her foot. “Seriously, what’s wrong with Charles? Why would he do that? Was all my crying for nothing? Did I go through all that pain for nothing?”

She bit her lip and gave Shepard an annoyed look.

“Say something,” she demanded. “Why are you just standing there, not saying anything?”

Charles hesitated.

“Hold on, don’t tell me you were part of this, too. You knew I wasn’t sick from the very beginning, didn’t you?” Briana accused, suspicion flashing in her eyes.

Shepard sighed, then flicked her forehead gently. “Come on, Briana, am I really that bad in your eyes?”

Was all that sadness and pain really something I could fake?‘ Shepard wondered, doubting himself. ‘If I could pull that off, I’d deserve the Best Actor.

It was clear that Charles had schemed against both him and Briana.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. I feel relieved, but also a little out of it,” Shepard murmured, wrapping Briana in his

arms.

“Briana, we don’t have to be apart anymore, and we don’t have to worry about losing our baby. We’ve always had everything we needed, so much more than we realized,” he added.

Briana nestled against him, comforted by the familiar scent she knew so well.

“All these things were always ours, but we never really noticed them. Family, health, and our baby? It’s only when we almost lose them that we understand how precious they are, and how much they mean to us,” she said softly.

Shepard ran his large hand slowly through Briana’s long hair, gently smoothing it down.

“Honestly, I can understand what Charles was trying to do,” Shepard said softly.

If it hadn’t been for what happened, he and Briana might never have truly opened up to each other.

No one knew when they would have finally been so in sync, heart and soul.

“We both got played by him,” Briana said with a frown. “And now he just took off like that,”

“Should we go drag him back?” Shepard suggested.

“Okay!” Briana replied.

Shepard asked, “So after we drag him back, what’s next?”

Briana paused, unsure. “And then?”

“Should we hang him up and teach him a lesson? Lock him up somewhere? Force him to apologize and admit he was

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Chapter 249

wrong?” Shepard teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you sure you can outtalk that smooth–talking mouth of his? He’ll probably say you’re ungrateful. He did it for you, and now you’re hurting him,” he added.

Briana pursed her lips. ‘He’s right, she thought.

Nobody knew Charles’s tricks better than Briana.

“Honestly, I guess I should thank him,” Shepard sighed. “He really did give us the nudge we needed.”

Briana bit her lip. “Credit is credit, while blame is blame! You can’t just lump them together.”

“Yeah, he tricked us, and that was messed up. But the fact that we’re back together? That’s all thanks to him.” Shepard said.

“We made up?” Briana blurted out.

‘Wait, when did that happen?‘ she wondered, totally lost. Who said we made up?”

Briana flat–out refused to admit it.

She gave Shepard a little shove. I’m not sick anymore. I don’t need an abortion, and I’m full of energy now, so I’m going to focus all my time and effort on the gallery.

But no matter how hard she pushed, Shepard didn’t budge an inch. In fact, he pulled her even closer.

Briana wanted to slip away, to avoid him.

Shepard could see right through her. There was no way he was letting her go that easily.

“Briana, don’t deflect,” Shepard said, his voice gentle but firm. “Let’s be brave and really face this.”

“All of that was just a lie, so everything we said before doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t have to make that impossible choice between myself and the baby.

“You don’t have to worry about me anymore, and our baby’s going to come into this world safe and sound,” Briana said.

Shepard raised an eyebrow. “All the more reason for us to stick together.”

Briana kept her eyes anywhere but on him, refusing to meet his gaze.

“So what, now that you’re all healthy, you’re just going to ditch me? Am I just your backup, someone you call when you need and toss aside when you don’t?” Shepard put on a wounded look.

“Hey, that’s not true!” Briana shot back.

“Now you got to take care of me,” Shepard said, grinning shamelessly.

Briana blinked, caught completely off guard.

“How did this turn into me taking care of me?’ she wondered, speechless. “He’s so shameless.”

Briana’s cheeks turned bright red, and she could practically feel her face burning.

“I really have to get to the gallery.” Briana insisted. “I can’t stand being stuck in this hospital any longer.

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That nasty antiseptic smell was the absolute worst; she hated it more than anything.

“Alright,” Shepard said, “I’ll take you there.”

Before Briana could say anything, he added, “And I’ll come pick you up tonight.”

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The more Briana tried to dodge him, the more determined Shepard was to make his presence felt. He was dead set on making himself impossible to ignore.

Briana’s thoughts were all over the place. She really needed some time and space to clear her head and figure things out.

She was still feeling a bit lost, not sure what to make of everything.

Meanwhile, Shepard looked like he was in a fantastic mood. After all, Shepard was the one who benefited from all this.

Charles was the mastermind behind everything, and he ended up taking all the blame.

Shepard hadn’t lifted a finger. He was just the innocent victim in all of this. But in the end, Shepard got the most out of all this. And really, he just did what he was supposed to do.

He genuinely thought Briana was sick, so everything he did felt right to him. He had nothing to feel guilty about, and he could handle any challenge.

When they arrived at the gallery, Briana quickly said, “I’m heading in,” hopped out of the car, slammed the door, and hurried inside.

She didn’t dare look back.

Shepard watched her walk into the gallery.

It’s okay,‘ Shepard thought. ‘We’ll take it slow.

Now that he was clinging to her, it worked way better than before. He’d already stirred up her feelings and moved right back into her heart.

Once Briana stepped inside the gallery, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

She thought fate was just messing with her. But it was just Charles messing with her all along.

Just thinking about Charles made Briana itch to give him a piece of her mind.

“Whoa, Briana!” Olivia exclaimed, clearly surprised. “Weren’t you supposed to be getting admitted to the hospital today?”

Olivia blinked, baffled. ‘What’s she doing here?‘

Olivia rushed over. “Don’t stress about the gallery. I’ve got it covered. You just need to take it easy and look after yourself right now.”

Olivia started chattering away, fussing over Briana nonstop.

Briana blinked. “Seriously, Olivia, I’m not sick.”

“Ugh, why are you so stubborn?” Olivia gave her a playful smack. “We’ve been best friends for years, and you still only tell ine the good news, never the bad!”