To Love a Shadow To Be the Sun novel Chapter 94

Brian set his phone down, his eyes cold and distant.

Elara had been jolted awake by the commotion and now, unable to fall back asleep, she pushed her fever-flushed body upright, determined to get out of bed.

Brian stepped in front of her. "Where are you going?"

"To take care of your mother, of course. After all, I questioned her, shattered the sacred sanctity of your family, and now I must atone for my crimes—servitude seems fitting, doesn't it?"

"Don't go." Brian frowned, his voice tense. "Lie down. I'll handle it."

Elara shook off his hand with a bitter laugh.

"And what will you say to her? Gamble with my bone marrow one more time?"

"Elara, you don't understand what's happening right now—"

Brian tried to explain, but Elara cut him off.

"What don't I understand? That you're afraid your precious sister might be upset, so once again, you put my bone marrow on the line. If you win, you get your answers; if you lose, they drain me dry, and your mother and sister are thrilled. Either way, you walk away unharmed, and I'm just the collateral damage. That's the reality, Brian. I've laid it all out for you, so you don't need to come up with another excuse."

Her words stung.

"That's really how you see my situation?" Brian's voice trembled.

"Your situation?" Elara scoffed. "Sorry for disrupting Mr. Vincent's beauty sleep last night. I must be truly unforgivable."

Brian left, storming out of the room—driven away by anger and guilt.

—

By the next morning, Elara's fever had finally broken.

Yves Caldwell stopped by her hospital room to see if she planned to come into work.

Of course she was going to Ignition Dynamics. If she wanted to turn things around, she had to put on a convincing act. And how else could she use work as the perfect cover for a detour to Rigel Testing Center?

On her way through the outpatient lobby, she happened to run into Rose, who had brought her grandfather in for a check-up.

Elara instinctively hid her hands behind her back.

"Elara, your grandpa said you're busy and I shouldn't bother you, so I called a taxi myself and brought him for his appointment. You have no idea how hard it is to get a wheelchair into one of those cabs. So, how are things with you and Brian? Did you two make up?"

Yves Caldwell glanced down at his shoes, silent. It was obvious to everyone that Rose was hoping her son-in-law would finally buy them a car.

Grandpa, watching the crowds passing by, said quietly, "Do you think I'm old and easy to fool?"

"Dad, Elara's fine, isn't she?"

"Her fingers were bright red, Rose. Are you going to tell me she dyed them that color on purpose?"

Rose fell silent.

Grandpa tightened his grip on the armrest. "The Vincents think they can push our family around because we have no one to stand up for us."

—

Elara arrived at Ignition Dynamics, but soon slipped away on a pretense and made her way to Rigel Testing Center.

It was just after lunch, the staff trickling back in.

She stood in the corridor outside the lab, scanning the posted staff photos until she found the one she was looking for.

"Peter!" she called out.