Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 279

Chapter 279 

Shepard wanted to give Briana the proposal she always deserved. 

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When they got married, the wedding was grand, but there was one thing missing. He didn’t give her a real, heartfelt proposal. 

Now, he couldn’t wait to tell Briana just how much he loved her. 

She wanted to marry him. 

He wanted to marry her. 

They were both choosing each other. 

Their hearts were in sync. 

This was what marriage was really about. 

The place for the proposal was just about done. 

Everything was in place. 

All that was left was for the couple to show up. 

Shepard thought, ‘If I can get discharged just a day earlier, I can propose to Briana that much sooner. 

As he worked out every detail of the proposal, he was filled with anticipation, picturing what the scene would look like. 

He knew he would be so excited and deeply moved. 

He would probably choke up, unable to get the words out, his eyes welling up with tears. 

His phone started ringing. 

Shepard glanced at the screen and picked up. 

He said, ‘Hello?” 

“Mr. Carter,” James said, “so, have you nailed down the proposal date yet? Are we doing it tonight, or waiting a couple more days? Just give me a heads–up at least three hours before, so I can make sure the setup is absolutely perfect.” 

“Tonight,” Shepard said, barely able to hide his excitement. 

“Understood, Mr. Carter, James replied, his tone upbeat. “You and Mrs. Carter are in for an unforgettable night.” 

Shepard was making it up to Briana for everything he owed her, finally giving her what he should have all along. 

But deep down, he was weighed down by a deep sense of guilt. 

Honestly, he should have given her all of this ages ago. 

Shepard thought, blaming himself, ‘It was all on me. 

I’d been out of my mind, fooled for years, and now all I can feel is regret. 

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Luckily, he still had a chance to make it up to Briana. 

After hanging up, Shepard immediately shot off a message to Charles. 

He sent: [Proposal tonight. You know what to do.] 

Everyone else was in the loop. 

Briana was the only one still in the dark. 

Briana finished up the discharge paperwork and headed back to the hospital room.. 

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“Something’s not right,” Briana muttered. “This was just a simple errand; anyone could’ve handled it. Why did I have to do it myself?” 

She felt something was off. 

But she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. 

In truth, Shepard had purposely found an excuse to keep Briana out of the way. 

Hearing her mutter, Shepard turned around, asking, “Briana?” 

Briana snapped out of her thoughts, looked up at him, and said, “Yeah, all done. We can go home now.” 

She held up the paperwork in her hand. 

Shepard walked over to her. 

Seeing him approach, Briana quickly jogged over and said, “Your leg just got better, and the cast was just taken off. Take it easy, don’t walk too much.” 

Without saying a word, Shepard bent down and swept her up, carrying her bridal style. 

“See? I’m plenty strong,” he said. “Want to see for yourself?” 

Briana clung to his neck, nervous. She replied, “No, no, I know you’re strong, super strong. Just put me down, okay?” 

With the pregnancy, she had already hit triple digits on the scale. 

She was pretty heavy now. 

I hope I’m not making Shepard work too hard,‘ she thought, worried he would get tired carrying her. 

But instead of putting her down, Shepard strode over to the wall, pinned her there, and kissed her fiercely, pouring all his pent–up passion into that moment. 

He had been holding back for so long, now he could finally let himself go. 

Even a kiss was enough to take the edge off his craving for her. 

Briana let out a muffled gasp. 

Her eyes flew open as she shot a nervous look at the door. 

She hadn’t even bothered to shut the door all the way when she came in. 

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There were people passing by outside every so often. 

If someone walked in right now, they would totally see them making out. 

Briana thought, her heart pounding, ‘Oh my god. 

This is so freaking embarrassing. 

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Briana tried to speak, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Shepard’s kiss grew even more intense, leaving her completely breathless. 

They were locked in a passionate embrace, their lips intertwined. 

They melted into each other, wrapped up in the moment, unable to pull away. 

By the end, Briana had melted in Shepard’s arms, her body so limp she could only hang onto his neck to keep from slipping ight off him. 

I… I know you’re… Shepard… you…” Briana tried to speak, but her words were swallowed by his kiss. 

So… strong, you really are… so strong,” she stammered. 

3riana couldn’t even string a full sentence together. 

She was left breathless, barely able to catch her breath. 

When Shepard finally released her, Briana’s lips were bright red and tender from his kisses. 

3riana was so spent, she couldn’t even muster a comeback; she just glared at him. 

Glaring at me?” Shepard said, raising an eyebrow, his voice low and teasing. “Briana, you know that just makes me want you ven more… to have you all to myself.” 

Briana gave his shoulder a playful smack and said, “Alright, put me down. Come on, let’s go home.” 

Okay, Shepard said. 

Only then did Shepard finally let her go. 

As soon as her feet touched the floor, Briana’s legs went weak, and she almost toppled straight down. 

Shepard let out a low chuckle, quickly catching her by the waist and pulling her firmly back against him. 

What’s wrong?” he asked, even though he knew exactly what was going on. 

Briana bit her lip, staying silent. 

The moment he was discharged, Shepard seemed like a completely different guy. 

As soon as he swapped out the hospital gown for his own clothes, he started joking around and teasing Briana nonstop. 

Briana gave a small snort, steadied herself, and turned to walk out. 

Shepard followed right behind her. 

The car was already waiting at the hospital entrance. 

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As soon as Ben spotted Shepard and Briana, he hopped out and opened the door for them. 

“Mr. Carter, Mrs. Carter,” Ben asked, “shall I take you to Carter Estate or Evergreen Estate?” 

Briana was stumped by the question, not sure how to answer. 

Normally, they were supposed to go back to the Carter Estate. 

But she really didn’t want to leave Evergreen Estate behind. 

She had gotten so used to living there, moving back and forth just didn’t feel right anymore. 

Shepard turned to her and said, “Wherever you want to go, that’s where we’ll head.” 

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Briana paused, then said, “Let’s go to Evergreen Estate first. After a while, we can move back to the Carter Estate, alright?” 

“Alright,” Shepard nodded. “But I do think it might be better if we head back to Carter Estate soon.” 

“Why? You don’t want me staying at Evergreen Estate?” Briana asked, her voice uncertain. 

“You should think about Charles,” Shepard said. “It’s not easy for him with us living there.” 

Briana frowned, not quite understanding. “Why would it be inconvenient for him?” 

“If he starts dating, it won’t be easy for him to bring a girl home. Even inviting someone over for dinner would be awkward. And besides…” Shepard explained. 

“Alright, alright,” Briana laughed, cutting him off. “I get it. Let’s just head straight to Carter Estate.” 

Any other reason wouldn’t have convinced her. 

But for Charles’s marriage, Briana didn’t hesitate for a second. 

Briana thought, ‘I really need to head back to Carter Estate. 

I can’t just hang around and be the third wheel for Charles.’ 

“I bet he and Camila are totally gonna end up together,” Briana said, raising an eyebrow. “What do you think?” 

“Almost certain,” Shepard replied. 

Even Shepard was convinced they were a thing; now it was just a matter of waiting for them to make it official 

Just waiting for their results. 

Briana grinned, super satisfied. She said, “Looks like I’ll have a sister–in–law soon. Just wait and see 

And just like that, with a few casual words, Shepard easily talked Briana into heading back to Carter Estate 

This was their newlywed home, the place where their life as husband and wife truly began. 

As Briana walked back into the Carter Estate, her emotions were swirling 

She was caught up in a storm of feelings. 

The day she left, she had been prepared to never return. 

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She was utterly disappointed in Shepard; she had lost all hope. 

She had no desire left to fight for this marriage or this home. 

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After everything she had been through, Briana found herself back here; life really had a way of bringing her full circle. 

And this time, she was ready to start over, right here, with a whole new beginning. 

Warmth spread across her shoulders as Shepard’s arm wrapped around her. He said, “Welcome home, Briana.” 

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