Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 261

Chapter 261 

“No one wants anything to happen to Shepard, but Briana, you need to take care of yourself and the baby, Isabelle said. 

Briana thought, ‘Yes, the baby. 

She couldn’t afford to neglect her health. Briana stood there, rooted to the spot. 

Isabelle’s eyes turned red again. “Briana, Shepard’s life is still hanging in the balance. You can’t let anything happen to you now. Do you know how terrified I was when I saw you lying there? I—” 

Isabelle’s voice caught in her throat. She took a deep breath. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t wake too.” 

up, 

Briana paused, then slowly lifted her hand and gently rested it on Isabelle’s shoulder. 

“Isabelle,” she said, “don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to me. I’ll make sure to bring this baby into the world safe and sound.” 

It had been a long time since Isabelle had heard Briana call her Isabelle. Hearing it warmed her heart. In a situation like this, Isabelle felt a small sense of comfort. 

“Isabelle,” Briana asked again, “what’s going on with Shepard right now?” 

“He’s still being treated in the emergency room,” Isabelle replied. 

“What?” Briana exclaimed, stunned. Briana looked around, trying to find a clock. But there wasn’t one in the room. 

‘How long have I been asleep?‘ she wondered. ‘What time is it now?‘ 

She glanced out the window. The sky was dim and gloomy. 

‘It’s already afternoon, isn’t it?‘ Briana thought. “The surgery’s still not finished? It’s been all day! Is Shepard really in that bad a shape?‘ 

Isabelle let out a heavy sigh. “His injuries are just too serious. They’ve been fighting to save him this whole time. 

“At first, it was the hospital’s own doctors, but then Richard brought in the most elite surgical team to take over the operation for Shepard.” 

“So,” Briana asked, “when will it be over?” 

“I don’t know,” Isabelle replied. 

No one had any idea when it would be over. Right now, no news was good news. Once the surgery’s done, they would finally hear what happened. No matter what the result was, they had to face it. 

Briana slowly sat down beside the hospital bed. 

“He’ll be okay. He has to be,” Briana murmured to herself. “Because he promised me.” 

As she spoke, her tears fell once more. 

“Isabelle,” Briana choked out, “Shepard ended up in this mess because he was trying to save me.” 

Her mind flashed back to that moment. 

Before Briana could say anything else, Isabelle interrupted, “I know. I saw the news and the security footage. Everything was caught on camera. Every detail is crystal clear.” 

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Chapter 261 

Briana’s tears streamed down her face even harder. 

“I just don’t get why he showed up at that intersection. He was supposed to go straight to the Carter Group. That’s what we agreed. We said our goodbyes at Evergreen Estate and got into our own cars,” Briana said. 

“But he ended up secretly following me. Why would he do that? What was he thinking? If he hadn’t been there. I’d be the one fighting for my life right now,” Briana choked. 

Isabelle said softly, “When Shepard wakes up, you can ask him everything you want, face to face.” 

Briana nodded hard, determination in her voice. “Of course I will! I have to! I know I’ll get my chance!” 

Then, she suddenly remembered something. 

“Wait, where’s my phone? My phone!” Briana exclaimed. She began searching around frantically. 

Isabelle pulled it out of her bag and handed it to her. “Is this the one?” 

“Yeah,” Briana said, recognizing it instantly. “That’s my phone.” 

She took it and unlocked it. But with the screen shattered like a spiderweb, there was no way to read anything on it. 

She had no way of knowing what Shepard had said back after she sent him that picture of the clouds. All she could do now was ask him in person when she saw him. 

She had so much she wanted to say to him, so many things she needed to ask. She gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned pale. 

After a moment, Briana asked, “Isabelle, what happened to the truck driver?” 

“The police have already taken him into custody,” Isabelle replied. 

“Did the police get anything out of him?” Briana pressed. 

“No news so far,” Isabelle replied. “We just have to wait and see.” 

Everything happened so suddenly, and things got complicated fast. 

Shepard had always been the backbone of the Carter family. With him out of commission, chaos swept through the whole family. 

Isabelle couldn’t do much to help. All she could do was stay by Briana’s side in the hospital room, looking after her. 

Richard was busy rushing around, trying to keep everything under control. 

On one hand, he had to make sure the Carter Group stayed stable and that no rumors spread. If word got out, the stock could plummet, and the execs would freak out. 

On the other hand, he was trying to figure out why that truck had suddenly lost control and crashed into Briana to see if it was on purpose or just an accident. 

He also had to keep in touch with the doctors and deal with everything else. 

Richard was running around like crazy, barely having a moment to spare. And they still hadn’t told Evelyn what happened. 

At her age, if she found out, it could be too much for her to handle. The Carter family couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. 

“Can I go wait outside the emergency room?” Briana asked. “I won’t do anything. I just want to be there, quietly waiting.” 

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Chapter 261 

4 

At least if she were there, she could feel a little closer to him. Even if it was just through a wall. If anything happened, she’d hear about it right away, not hours later. 

Stuck in this hospital room, lost and helpless, all she could do was watch the minutes crawl by, each one heavier than the last. It was pure agony. 

Isabelle said gently, “Briana, even if you go, all you can do is sit and wait.” 

“I know, but I’d rather sit there than stay here,” Briana replied, her voice full of longing. 

Isabelle was still hesitating when, suddenly, rushed footsteps sounded outside the room. The footsteps stopped right outside the door. The door was flung open. 

“Briana!” Charles and Olivia called out. They showed up at the same time. They stood in the doorway, blocking it completely. 

Olivia rushed in first, hurrying over to Briana and checking her over from head to toe, making sure she was really okay. 

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?” Olivia asked. 

When Briana saw Olivia, the tears she’d just managed to hold back burst out again, streaming down her face. 

“Olivia,” Briana choked, her voice trembling. 

“I’m here,” Olivia said quickly. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters. Oh my god, when I saw the news, I recognized your car right away. It was completely smashed up!” 

“Olivia, Shepard saved me,” Briana choked out, her voice trembling. “He’s the one who got hurt the worst.” 

Olivia froze, stunned. 

E 

Charles let out a sigh. “That was his choice. He’d always choose to save you. no matter what. Even if he had to do it a thousand times, he’d still save you.” 

“Yeah.” Briana nodded, her voice soft. “I’m always his top priority.” 

“You knew that ever since you thought you had a heart problem, didn’t you?” Charles said gently. 

“Yes,” Briana replied. 

Charles asked, “And now?” 

“Now, I can see more clearly than ever just how deeply he loves me,” Briana said softly. 

When danger struck, Shepard didn’t even hesitate. He was willing to sacrifice himself for me. For her sake, he’d risk everything, even his own life, without a second thought. 

Charles said, “All we can do now is pray he pulls through. Once he wakes up, everything will fall into place.” 

“He will wake up. I know he will. Both the baby and I are waiting for him,” Briana said. 

“Absolutely!” Olivia added quickly. “Shepard is blessed. Good things always happen to him. He’ll make it through. I just know 

it!” 

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Chapter 262