To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 237

Brian’s breath came in ragged gasps as he stared at her in disbelief.

Elara’s eyes blazed with a fury so fierce it seemed to burn away everything but hatred—hatred so deep it was almost tangible.

“Why?” His voice was tight, barely controlled.

“It was your brother who tried to kill me, and you knew it all along. You pretended you didn’t, just to keep the Vincent family’s reputation spotless. I was always your sacrificial lamb!”

Brian took in her angry, shaking form, a deep frown creasing his brow.

“I’ve clawed my way back from death more times than I can count. All I ever asked was for you to let me go, to give me a chance at life. But you? You refused, clinging to this marriage, keeping me under your thumb, using my life to burnish your family’s halo!”

Elara’s voice broke with emotion, rising to a raw, ragged cry.

“And as if that wasn’t enough, now you’ve taken my grandfather from me, too. Why? Because you’re a Vincent? Because money and power give you the right to crush other people’s lives without consequence?”

“My grandfather…?” Brian’s forehead beaded with cold sweat; his vision dimmed, but he forced himself to stay upright.

“You mean you don’t know? Didn’t your precious brother brag about it? Yesterday, they killed an old man who couldn’t even defend himself. And they’ll walk away free, just like always. In the eyes of the Vincent family, only your own lives matter. The rest of us are just ants to be trampled.”

“Brian, go to hell. When you’re dead, I’ll send your brother after you. Both of you can beg my grandfather’s forgiveness underground!”

Pain surged in Brian’s chest. He tried to speak, but only managed to spit out a mouthful of blood.

At that moment, the office door swung open.

Zane and Yves Caldwell strode in.

Lina, who’d been lingering anxiously outside the door, slipped in behind them.

She took one look at the scene and shrieked, “Elara, what have you done, you—”

Zane shot her a steely glare, cutting her words short.

Brian slumped against Yves Caldwell’s shoulder, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Keep her here. Don’t let her out to spread rumors.”

Yves Caldwell nodded quickly, steadying Brian.

“Brother…” Lina’s voice quivered as she pressed her hands to her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Zane stepped between Elara and Brian, blocking Brian’s view of her, and spoke with calm authority. “The ambulance is waiting in the underground garage. There’s a toxicology specialist on board. We’ll take the private exit—no one will see.”

He pushed Elara into a chair, his voice low but firm. “You need to calm down.”

Elara’s eyes, still ringed with red, were filled with loathing as she looked at him.

“How did you know he was poisoned? Have you been following me? You’re all the same—you’re all monsters.”

Zane crouched in front of her, patient. “I’m not going to let you do something reckless.”

Elara let out a wild, tearful laugh. “He’s had a lethal dose of cobra venom. You can’t save him. No one can! He has to die. He has to!”

Zane gripped her shoulders, his voice suddenly thunderous. “Look at me!”

He rarely spoke this way, but when he did, it was a voice that shook the ground beneath you—a voice few could withstand.

Elara startled, her wild grief momentarily checked.

“If you let him die so easily, what weapon do you have left against the people who truly killed your grandfather? What about the vengeance you owe yourself for all the times you nearly died?”

His words cut through her rage. She stared at him, and slowly, the red faded from her eyes, replaced by the shimmer of unshed tears.