Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 250

Chapter 250 

“He definitely knows we’re together. If he’s ignoring you, he’s not going to pick up for me either, Olivia said. 

Yeah, you’re right,‘ she wondered. Briana was out of ideas. 

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She ran her fingers through her hair and turned to Olivia. “To put it simply, my whole ‘sickness‘ was just a setup by Charles. I’m actually perfectly fine. 

“He did all this so I could figure out my own feelings, see who really loves me, and realize what I should truly value.” 

Olivia stared at her, stunned for a few seconds. 

When Olivia saw that Briana wasn’t joking at all, she slowly began to process and accept the truth. 

“Charles?” Olivia muttered. “Yeah, honestly, only he would come up with such a ridiculous scheme.” 

“That’s not the only ridiculous scheme he’s pulled,” Briana said. 

“What else?” Olivia asked. 

Briana thought of Camila. She felt even more embarrassed. She’d actually treated Camila like a romantic rival and didn’t hold back at all when she spoke to her. 

And in the end, it turned out Camila was just putting on an act. 

Briana had been so possessive and confrontational, and honestly, she had no idea what Camila must’ve thought about her. She let out another long sigh. 

“But,” Olivia said, switching gears, “even if it was a ridiculous plan, you have to admit. It actually worked.” 

“You really think so?” Briana asked. 

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“Just think about it. Back when you thought you were sick and had to make that impossible choice between yourself and your child, and now you find out it was all just a setup. Didn’t everything change for you?” Olivia asked. 

Briana stayed quiet. 

Olivia added, “Maybe it takes staring death in the face, or going through something huge, for people to finally realize that the happiness they’ve been chasing was right there all along.” 

Briana gazed at Olivia for a few seconds, searching her face. Then, she pulled Olivia into the art studio and closed the door behind them. 

“Olivia, does this mean you really support me being with Shepard?” Briana asked. 

“I’m not really supporting you. I’m just calling it as I see it,” Olivia said, making a face. “Besides, does it even matter if I’m for or against it? 

“When you were hell–bent on marrying him, I tried to talk you out of it, but you wouldn’t listen. And now, if I told you to make up with him, would you even listen?” 

Briana couldn’t answer. 

“Actually, the answer has always been in your heart, Briana. When you love him, you’d go to the ends of the earth for him. But when you don’t, no matter how good he is to you, you want to leave him and get a divorce. 

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“So, look deep inside yourself, be honest with your feelings. Do you want to walk away from Shepard, or do you want to stay together? Olivia asked. 

Briana pressed her palm hard against her chest. ‘Leave him? Make up?‘ she wondered. 

It seemed she’d had the answer all along. But deep down, she was afraid, afraid of falling into the same old traps all over again, and afraid her love would go unanswered. 

She kept overthinking everything, too scared to make a move. 

Because Briana just couldn’t be sure that if she and Shepard made up, they’d actually find their happily ever after together. People changed. 

“But to be honest,” Olivia said, her voice gentler, “Shepard really earned some points in my book this time. 

“Whether it was when you two were trapped in the valley or when you thought you had a heart problem, everything he did made it clear you’re the woman he cares about most. 

“If you can forgive him, Briana, then I’ll forgive him, too.” 

Briana shot Olivia a surprised look. 

Olivia gave her a hug. “I just want you to be happy.” 

‘Love whoever she loves. Hate whoever she hates. Isn’t that what best friends are for?‘ she wondered. 

Briana wrapped her arms around Olivia, holding her tight. 

‘My thoughts are all over the place, Briana thought. ‘I really need to take a breather and figure out what I truly want. 

“You’re totally fine, so it was just a big scare,” Olivia said, finally cracking a smile. “Briana, you have no idea. I’ve been so stressed these past couple of days, I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, but now, everything’s back to normal!” 

Briana smiled back. “Sorry, I made you worry.” 

“Oh, please, don’t apologize. You were just as freaked out as I was! This is all on Charles, pulling that crazy stunt. If I ever run into him, I’m seriously going to punch him a few times!” Olivia said, shaking her fist. 

“Come on, let’s go celebrate!” Olivia said, linking arms with Briana. “Let’s eat, drink, shop, and just have a blast!” 

“Okay!” Briana replied. 

With Olivia by her side, Briana was finally able to push all her worries to the back of her mind. 

By the time they got home from shopping, it was already ten at night. The living room was lit up. 

‘Wait, is Shepard waiting for me?‘ Briana wondered. She found herself tiptoeing as she made her way toward the living 

room. 

As soon as she walked in, she saw a bunch of people sitting on the couch. Even Charles, who’d been dodging her lately, was 

there! 

Shepard sat comfortably in the armchair, legs crossed and elbows resting on the armrests, radiating a relaxed confidence. In front of others, he always exuded an imposing presence. But whenever Briana was around, he would soften his demeanor 

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just a little. 

Sitting next to Charles was none other than Camila. 

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Camila was chatting animatedly, her whole face alive with energy and excitement. But there wasn’t a hint of her trying to please anyone. 

She was just speaking her mind, totally comfortable and confident. And her eyes weren’t even on Shepard at all. 

How did I not see this before?‘ Briana thought. ‘Was Camila really that good at faking it?” 

Briana stood silently at the entrance to the living room. 

‘Should I just walk in?‘ she wondered. ‘Guess I picked the worst moment to come home! 

Just as Briana was hesitating, Camila spotted her first. “Mrs. Carter?” she called out. 

It instantly changed the vibe in the room. 

Shepard instantly turned to Briana and got to his feet. 

Charles visibly flinched. 

“Briana?” Shepard walked over to her. “You’re back already?” 

“I mean, where else would I go?” Briana replied. 

“This is so strange, Briana thought. ‘Did I ever say I wasn’t coming back? Does he seriously think I’d just leave and not come home?‘ 

“Olivia said you were hanging out with her tonight,” Shepard said. 

“Yeah, I was with her, but after we wrapped up, we both just went home,” Briana replied. 

Shepard nodded, slipped his arm around her shoulders, and said, “We’re just having a little talk, but it’s almost over. Why don’t you sit with us for a bit?” 

With his arm still around her, he walked her over to the couch. 

Camila stood up. “Mrs. Carter, we meet again.” 

“Hello, Ms. Terrell,” Briana said with a polite smile. “Please, sit down. No need to be so stiff.” 

Camila grinned, “Mrs. Carter, do I still get on your nerves, or am I finally less annoying to you now?” 

Briana felt a little awkward. 

Camila kept smiling, “If I ever offended you or made things awkward, please don’t hold it against me. I was just playing the bad guy for the storyline.” 

Camila’s gracious and confident manner only made Briana feel even more awkward and unsure of herself. 

Briana couldn’t help but feel like she was the one being petty and small–minded. 

“Oh, and Mrs. Carter,” Camila added, “Mr. Carter had no clue about any of this. It was all Mr. Lane’s and my idea from start to finish. 

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“I just wanted to clear that up, so you can trust that everything Mr. Carter said and did was genuinely from the heart.”