To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 18

That night, she and Brian remained on opposite sides of the king-sized bed, an invisible wall of ice dividing them.

Elara was only discharged from the hospital because her wounds had healed enough to meet the criteria—not because she was truly well. The trauma from plunging into the sea still lingered, leaving her weak and exhausted. She slept heavily, drifting in and out of consciousness, never noticing when Brian left for the office that morning.

She had no idea how long she'd been asleep when a sudden crash jolted her awake—the bedroom door was kicked open with a bang.

Before she could process what was happening, Nanette stormed in, followed by several of the old house's maids.

Mrs. Archer's voice rang out behind them, indignant and anxious: "Madam hasn't gotten up yet! You can't just barge in! Have you no respect for Mr. Vincent at all?"

But Nanette ignored her, yanking the covers off Elara and exposing her disheveled state to everyone in the room.

"After everything you've done to disgrace the Vincent family, you still have the nerve to sleep?"

Elara had gone to bed in the most modest pajamas she owned after arguing with Brian last night—still, it felt humiliating to be treated this way.

"What's wrong with you?" she snapped, fear and fury twisting inside her. She tried to snatch back her blanket, but Nanette seized her by the hair.

"What's wrong with me? You're the one who hired paparazzi to photograph Brian and Lina in Aalborg, then paid to spread rumors online and ruin the Vincent family's reputation! Who's really lost their mind here?"

Elara's mind reeled. "I don't know what you're talking about," she managed, grabbing at Nanette's wrist, trying to break free.

But Nanette only tightened her grip, squeezing Elara's face with her other hand and shouting to the maids, "Are you all useless? The matriarch gave the order—drag this woman out! She's about to be thrown out of the Vincent family, so what are you afraid of?"

With that, the hesitant maids surged forward.

Elara was hauled to the old manor, humiliated and disheveled.

The accusation had come out of nowhere, and now she had to find a way to fight back.

Rubbing her aching arms, Elara glared straight at Gareth. "Mr. Winters, what evidence do you have that I tried to smear the Vincent family?"

She didn't even bother calling him "father" anymore, and Felice's frown grew tighter at that.

Gareth acted unfazed by the slight. He strode to the matriarch's side and picked up a stack of bank statements from the table.

"These are transfers you made to the paparazzi who photographed Brian, and to the bloggers who spread rumors about him cheating. Brian's already confirmed these payments are real and came from you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

So Brian knew they were coming after her—and he'd let them drag her out of bed, strip her of her dignity, without lifting a finger to stop it?