Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 252

Chapter 252 

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Briana moaned softly. Her body grew limp. Her head was spinning from lack of air. Shepard had completely robbed her of breath. 

Night had fallen. In the bedroom, on the king–sized bed, it was just Briana and Shepard. 

‘Isn’t this the best chance?‘ Shepard couldn’t help but think. 

Shepard’s kisses became rougher and rougher, until Briana’s lips were burning from the intensity. 

She felt like he was about to swallow her up, as she might disappear inside him. 

“Shep-” Briana clung to his shoulders, just barely able to lean into his embrace. Otherwise, she would’ve gone completely limp on the bed. 

‘No way, I can’t let myself lie down!‘ Briana panicked inwardly. ‘If I do, things will get way out of hand!‘ 

“Say it again,” Shepard murmured. 

“Shep-” Briana barely managed to get out the first syllable before a sharp hiss escaped her lips. Shepard had bitten down. hard on the corner of her mouth. 

“Say it,” Shepard demanded again, his voice rougher than before. 

Briana stayed silent, refusing to answer him. 

‘If I don’t say anything, he can’t do anything to me, right?‘ she thought to herself. But she was dead wrong. 

Shepard wasn’t going to let her go that easily. 

“Briana,” Shepard coaxed gently, “what are you supposed to call me, huh?” 

He slowed down, planting soft pecks on the corner of her mouth, one after another. 

Briana’s mind was so starved for oxygen, she couldn’t even think for herself anymore. 

All she could do was go along with whatever he said and answer him. 

“Honey,” Briana murmured, “I’m supposed to call you honey,” 

“Good girl,” Shepard praised. Hearing her call him the name he craved, Shepard leaned in and claimed her lips in another deep, hungry kiss. 

They kissed until both of them were gasping for air. 

Briana was doing alright. Her lips were rosy and glistening, looking every bit like she’d just been thoroughly kissed. 

But Shepard was having a much harder time. 

Briana buried her face in his chest, listening to the steady thumping of his heartbeat. It was racing, pounding away faster and faster. 

Briana bit her lip, a playful glint in her eyes. “See? Now you’re the one all worked up,” 

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10:33 am 

Chapter 252 

M 

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They’d hugged, they’d kissed, but in the end, that was all they could do. He couldn’t go any further. Because Briana was pregnant. 

Shepard swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Next time we go for a prenatal checkup, maybe I should ask the doctor.” 

“Ask what?” Briana looked at him, puzzled. “I just went for a prenatal checkup.” 

Thanks to that checkup, Charles ended up coming up with his wild idea. 

Shepard replied, “When can we have sex again?” 

Briana’s cheeks flushed bright red. 

‘Is he seriously going to just ask the doctor that?‘ Briana groaned inwardly. ‘That’s so awkward!‘ 

“I–I’m pretty sure we can’t do that at all while I’m pregnant,” Briana mumbled, barely audible. “Isn’t it obvious? Why even bother asking?” 

“What if the doctor says it’s totally fine, as long as we just take it slow?” Shepard pressed, his voice low and teasing. 

Briana whispered, shaking her head, “Still no. We can’t risk hurting the baby.” 

Shepard’s large palm gently stroked her hair. “Come on, let’s just ask the doctor.” 

Briana shook her head. “You better not ask.” 

Shepard held Briana without saying a word, breathing slowly to calm himself down. 

Even after a long while, Shepard still hadn’t really cooled off. 

Briana could still feel just how much he was affected by her. 

“How about you go take a cold shower?” Briana teased. 

“No, that’s not necessary. Just give me a minute,” Shepard replied. 

“Is it really that hard for you?” Briana grumbled, a little amused. “You never even try to hold back. It always ends up like this.” 

Honestly, it was like he had a feast right in front of him, but couldn’t take a single bite. And still, he just let himself indulge. 

Shepard’s lips curled into a teasing grin. “Briana, you really think I can hold myself back with you right here?” 

He felt terrible. Life had been so bland and boring lately, 

“Hmph, Briana teased, half annoyed, half playful. “It’s your own fault for not appreciating me when you had the chance” 

For five whole years after they got married, Shepard had endless opportunities to get close to her. 

She dropped hints, spelled it out, even made the first move, but he never responded. 

‘Now you know what regret feels like, huh?‘ Briana thought, feeling a little smug. “Too bad. There’s no magic cure for regret 

in this world!‘ 

“Yeah,” Shepard replied, “I was so damn dumb back then.” 

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10:33 am DDMM. 

Chapter 252 

He couldn’t even recognize himself from those days. 

Thinking back, Shepard honestly had no clue what he was trying to prove. Now he’d totally overdone it. 

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If Shepard wanted to have Briana all to himself, he’d have to wait at least a whole year. Just the thought of it made him feel like the wait was endless. 

“That’s why I can’t keep making the same mistakes,” Shepard murmured, lowering his gaze to the woman in his arms. “Briana, after everything we’ve just been through, something that really shook us. We need to treasure each other more than 

ever.” 

Briana fell silent. At times like this, when life and death are on the line, romance, love or not, just didn’t matter anymore. 

All she wanted was to live well, with the one she loved, watching sunrises and sunsets, and clouds drifting by. 

All the misunderstandings and all the mistakes were in the past now. 

Briana knew she wanted to patch things up with Shepard, to get back to how things used to be. 

But deep down, she just couldn’t really move on, not yet, anyway. Maybe she just needed a bit more time. 

After a long moment of silence, Briana took a deep breath, raised her head, and met Shepard’s gaze directly. 

“I get what you’re thinking,” Briana said, her voice steady. “Shepard, could you let me have some space to clear my head? Just give me a little time, alright?” 

She didn’t want to rush into any big decisions about her life just yet. She felt like she couldn’t take any more setbacks or losses. 

For the rest of her life, what Briana wanted most was to bring her child into the world, watch it grow up, and be there for every step of its first twenty years. 

At the same time, she wanted to pour her heart into Dreamscape Gallery, create the kind of art she truly loved, and let more people truly feel the emotions and stories she poured into every painting. 

Shepard locked eyes with her, holding her gaze. “Of course,” he said. “But Briana, just how much time do you need?” 

Briana paused, thinking it over. “I don’t really know yet, but I promise I won’t keep you waiting too long.” 

‘Okay. But don’t keep me waiting forever,” Shepard murmured. 

Waiting really was the hardest thing. It just wore one down, bit by bit. 

Shepard had his own plan in mind, and that was one month. 

He wanted to spend that whole month stuck to her like glue, living together, slowly working his way into every part of her life and her heart. 

If she chose to keep loving him, then a month would be plenty of time for her to sort things out. 

“Thank you,” Briana said, her lips curling into a soft smile. “Thank you for being patient with me.” 

Shepard had really come a long way, he’d changed so much. 

He wasn’t that self–centered, selfish guy anymore, the one who never bothered about how others felt. 

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10:34 am DDMM 

Chapter 252 

Love had softened him up. But it also gave him a soft spot, a weakness he never had before. 

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“No, it’s me who should be thanking you, dummy,” Shepard sighed. “I’ve screwed up so many times, hurt you so much, and you still gave me another shot, Briana.” 

Messing up wasn’t the real problem. The real nightmare was if nobody forgave him after he screwed up. Luckily, they still had some wiggle room to make things right. 

Briana bit her lip. Yeah, she used to think she’d never even bother with Shepard again for the rest of her life. But God had other plans. 

She lost Henry, got tangled up in a set–up misdiagnosis, and it changed a lot of things she used to believe. 

“Alright, let’s not dwell on it,” Shepard said softly. “As long as you tell me you need time, I’ll absolutely respect that, Briana. I promise.” 

He cradled her tenderly, his embrace full of loving care. 

Briana snuggled obediently into his arms, letting herself rely on him. 

At Dreamscape Gallery, Briana sat in front of her easel. 

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