To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 234

His gentle reassurance finally calmed Elara, though she clung to his waist, refusing to let go.

She pressed her nose against his chest, breathing in the scent of his skin and the fresh aroma of his soap. She mumbled something, her words muffled and indistinct.

Zane couldn’t make out what she said.

They say people give away their secrets in their sleep.

A soft chuckle escaped him. He was about to tease her, but before he could, Elara’s fingers—without so much as a glance—found the second button of his shirt. She hooked it with perfect precision.

Whatever joke Zane had been about to make caught in his throat, dissolving into a sudden, overwhelming wave of emotion.

He remembered a little girl who used to curl up in his arms at night, always hooking her tiny finger around his button as she drifted off, as if it anchored her to safety.

“Elara…”

His hand moved instinctively, reaching to brush her cheek, but he stopped short, fingers hovering in the air.

Years of hard-earned discipline had taught him to grind his emotions down to dust, burying them deep inside.

Hope had flared up and burned out so many times over the years.

Some imposters had even managed to mimic her childhood memories, but their rehearsed gestures always gave them away in the end.

But with Elara… he refused to let himself get carried away.

Because hope, he’d learned, only hurt more the longer you held on to it.

With that, Zane gently tucked the blanket around her and whispered, “When you wake up tomorrow… no more tears, alright?”

Her only answer was the soft, steady rhythm of her breathing.

Lina instantly shrank back, arms shielding her head.

But Ellis paused, some new thought flickering in his eyes. He crossed his arms and gave Lina a cold, sideways glare.

“Brian’s into Ingrid Goldsmith now. If we need to worry about anyone, it’s her—especially if she ends up pregnant with his child. Elara? She’s nothing but a distraction, some plaything Brian’s already tired of. She’s worthless now. So tell me, why are you goading my people to keep going after her?”

Lina shrank further, mind racing for an answer.

But then Ellis’s face darkened with realization. “So that’s it. You never really switched sides, did you? You saw me as your tool, just wanted me to clear your path. You promised me the Vincent family fortune if I helped you get Brian, but if you ever did, you’d turn around and use him against me, wouldn’t you? You’re a real schemer, Lina.”

“No, that’s not it, I swear—”

Ellis’s eyes brimmed with contempt and menace. “I’m not afraid of people smarter than me. If I can’t outplay them, I’ll just get rid of them. Neely, take her to the alligator pit you love so much.”