Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 282

The place was as bright as day. 

Every detail appeared vividly before her eyes, as if the world had suddenly come into sharp focus. 

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Just a moment ago, everything was shrouded in darkness, so black she couldn’t see her own hand, leaving her with a sense of emptiness and defeat. 

Now? It was absolutely breathtaking. 

Flowers were everywhere around Briana, surrounding her completely. 

She was lost in a sea of blooms. 

Beneath her feet lay a red carpet, strewn with red rose petals. 

The rooftop was covered in flowers, making it feel like she had stepped right into a fairytale garden. 

At the far end of this sea of flowers was Shepard, holding an ice–blue bouquet. 

He was dressed in a crisp white suit with a bow tie. 

He looked just like a prince charming. 

The moment Briana saw Shepard, she realized it all. 

All that stuff about working late and handling business? Total cover–up,‘ she thought. 

He’d been fooling her, hiding all of this behind her back. Olivia was in on it, too!‘ Briana realized. 

Turns out, the whole point was to get her here and blow her mind with the biggest surprise ever! 

Briana was so surprised and touched that her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears. 

No wonder Olivia wanted me to go all out with my outfit, Briana thought. 

Shepard is really proposing! Briana realized. 

Oh my gosh! Briana freaked out a little. 

Is it too late to rush and fix my makeup? she wondered. 

Briana stayed rooted to the spot, not taking another step forward 

It didn’t matter 

If she wouldn’t go to Shepard, he’d come to her instead 

With the bouquet in hand. Shepard started walking toward her, closing the gap between them with every step until he was standing right in front of Briana 

“Briana, Shepard said. He was softer than ever right now 

His usual distant, icy demeanor had completely disappeared 

Briana kept her hand clamped over her mouth, stammering You, what are you, oh my gosh! 

Chapter 282 

She stomped her foot, her whole body itching to just spin around and bolt out of there. 

It was all happening way too fast. 

But when Briana spun around, she suddenly realized she was surrounded by familiar faces. 

All her closest friends and family, the people who meant the most to her, were right there. 

Of course, Richard and Isabelle were present, showing their support. 

There’s no way they’d miss such a big moment for their son and his wife. 

Even Charles and Camila showed up. 

‘Even Camila’s here!‘ Briana thought. 

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Olivia was there, obviously. When she noticed Briana glancing at her, she stuck out her tongue with that playful grin of hers. 

But what really blew Briana away was seeing Evelyn and Wrenley there, too! 

Weren’t they supposed to be off on some island vacation? When did they even get back to Belaris?‘ Briana wondered. 

‘And how did I not hear a single thing about it?‘ she thought. 

Both Evelyn and Wrenley were beaming with warmth and affection. 

After all, Evelyn and Wrenley were the masterminds behind getting Shepard and Briana together; they’d been the ultimate matchmakers. 

Now, seeing the couple so blissfully happy, both ladies felt proud and deeply accomplished. 

“What are you standing there for?” Charles called out, breaking the silence. “Shepard, time to show us what you’ve got!” 

Olivia chimed in right away, “Exactly! We’re all here, cameras rolling! Come on, come on! You’ve practiced this a ton, now it’s showtime!” 

Camila led the applause, clapping enthusiastically. “You got this, Shepard!” 

“You got this!” everyone else shouted. 

The whole crowd burst into applause, cheering him on. 

Briana broke into a radiant smile, her vision blurred by tears of joy. 

Her eyes found Shepard again. 

The moment she turned around, Shepard knelt down on one knee. 

He raised the bouquet and called out, “Briana” 

Briana reached out, cradling the flowers in her arms. “You even remembered, ice blue is my favorite.” 

I always remember what you love, Shepard said gently. 

“Why did you suddenly make it so romantic and bring everyone here?” Briana bit her lip, feeling flustered. “I wasn’t prepared for this at all.” 

“Because I realized we needed a new beginning, and I’ve always owed you a truly romantic moment,” Shepard said. 

10:24 Sat, 

Chapter 282 

She stomped her foot, her whole body itching to just spin around and bolt out of there. 

It was all happening way too fast. 

But when Briana spun around, she suddenly realized she was surrounded by familiar faces. 

All her closest friends and family, the people who meant the most to her, were right there. 

Of course, Richard and Isabelle were present, showing their support. 

There’s no way they’d miss such a big moment for their son and his wife. 

Even Charles and Camila showed up. 

‘Even Camila’s here!‘ Briana thought. 

55 vouchers 

Olivia was there, obviously. When she noticed Briana glancing at her, she stuck out her tongue with that playful grin of hers. 

But what really blew Briana away was seeing Evelyn and Wrenley there, too! 

Weren’t they supposed to be off on some island vacation? When did they even get back to Belaris?‘ Briana wondered. 

‘And how did I not hear a single thing about it?‘ she thought. 

Both Evelyn and Wrenley were beaming with warmth and affection. 

After all, Evelyn and Wrenley were the masterminds behind getting Shepard and Briana together; they’d been the ultimate matchmakers. 

Now, seeing the couple so blissfully happy, both ladies felt proud and deeply accomplished. 

“What are you standing there for?” Charles called out, breaking the silence. “Shepard, time to show us what you’ve got!” 

Olivia chimed in right away, “Exactly! We’re all here, cameras rolling! Come on, come on! You’ve practiced this a ton, now it’s showtime!” 

Camila led the applause, clapping enthusiastically. “You got this, Shepard!” 

“You got this!” everyone else shouted. 

The whole crowd burst into applause, cheering him on. 

Briana broke into a radiant smile, her vision blurred by tears of joy. 

Her eyes found Shepard again. 

The moment she turned around, Shepard knelt down on one knee. 

He raised the bouquet and called out, “Briana.” 

Briana reached out, cradling the flowers in her arms. “You even remembered, ice blue is my favorite.” 

“I always remember what you love,” Shepard said gently. 

“Why did you suddenly make it so romantic and bring everyone here?” Briana bit her lip, feeling flustered. “I wasn’t prepared for this at all.” 

“Because I realized we needed a new beginning, and I’ve always owed you a truly romantic moment,” Shepard said. 

10:24 Sat, Feb 21 

Chapter 282 

Back then, their wedding was lavish, but Shepard was anything but happy about it. 

He kept a stone–cold expression the whole time, never cracking a smile. 

That was one of the things he regretted most. 

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He wanted to finally make peace with that old wound in his heart. 

“Briana, from the moment we met, I never confessed my feelings to you, never truly opened up about what’s in my heart,” Shepard said, gazing up at her. “But tonight, I want you to hear everything. I want to tell you it all.” 

A man only ever knelt before god and his parents. 

But there was one more time: a man knelt before his wife. 

This time, Shepard knelt in front of no one else but Briana. 

Briana nodded, her eyes shining with tears. “Go on, I’m listening.” 

Shepard suddenly got nervous, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard. 

After a long pause, he spoke, his voice trembling, “I practiced this so many times. I even wrote it down and memorized every word. But now, kneeling here in front of you, trying to surprise you, my mind is blank. Everything I rehearsed is gone.” 

“So now, all I can do is speak from the heart, whatever comes to me. Those fancy words I prepared, they don’t mean anything right now,” Shepard admitted 

Briana giggled, unable to hold it in. 

Briana had hardly ever seen Shepard look this nervous before. 

Just how nervous was he? 

You could see the uneasiness on his face, and his hands were unconsciously trembling. 

Shepard was always the mastermind, always in command, the one everyone admired. 

He stood above so many, but for Briana, he’d humble himself without a second thought. 

And he was happy to do it. 

“Briana, I know I haven’t always treated you as you deserve. I want to spend my life making it up to you. That month in hospital gave me peace I’d never known, and I finally had time to truly think,” Shepard said. 

“And I realized you’re the most important person in my world. You’ve always stood by me, no matter what. You’ve been the perfect Mrs. Carter, running the household, attending every event with me, and helping me handle all those social obligations,” he went on. 

“You’ve always shone, Briana. Even when things were rough between us, you chose your own path. You opened a gallery. held exhibitions, kept painting, and earned recognition and respect. You began building a real name for yourself in the art world,” he added. 

Shepard’s confession was all about how much he admired Briana. 

He’d truly married a great woman. 

He never really appreciated her before. 

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Chapter 282 

But now, he treasured her more than anything. 

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“It always seemed like I held a higher status, and was the one you depended on and couldn’t live without. But the truth, Briana, is that I can’t live without you. When you decided to leave, I panicked and couldn’t let go,” he said. 

“Briana, I know I made many mistakes, and I’m so grateful you forgave me. We have so many years ahead to walk this road together, hand in hand. My life means nothing without you. I need you by my side, always,” he continued. 

“This proposal is my way of finally giving myself closure and a big surprise for you. Briana, after all these years, I want to ask you, clearly, with nothing left unsaid, will you marry me?” he asked. 

Shepard’s words came straight from the heart, and his face showed nothing but honesty and devotion. 

He loves her.. 

She was the only one for him. 

Briana was truly one of a kind; there was no one else like her in the whole world. 

What Shepard really meant with his proposal wasn’t simply asking Briana to marry him. 

What he truly wanted was to know if, no matter what happened in the days ahead, Briana would always walk beside him, stick with him through every storm, every twist and turn life threw their way. 

AD