To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 246

Brian stood frozen, every muscle tense. After a long, heavy silence, he finally managed to speak, his voice barely more than a whisper and laced with pain. “Elara, this tea was meant for you. I never expected you to take care of me.”

Elara gave a small, unbothered smile, making no effort to hide her words from Ingrid. “Relax. I’m all for you two being together. Honestly, I’m curious to see how Miss Goldsmith handles being both the wife and the sister-in-law of her husband’s lover.”

Brian’s face drained of color. Lina!

A flash of cold malice flickered in Ingrid’s eyes before she forced a bright smile and snatched the cup of tea from Brian’s hand. She clung to his arm, her syrupy voice jarring against the somber mood in the room.

“Brian, you look so unwell. Why don’t you lean on me for a bit? I’ll stay by your side for the rest of the service.”

She thrust her chest forward so theatrically that, if it weren’t for the cup of tea in her hand, Elara would have thought she was about to offer to nurse him.

Brian tried to pull away, but Ingrid had latched on so tightly that he couldn’t escape without causing a scene. He stood there, painfully awkward, trapped.

Father Haden’s brow furrowed as he cast a stern look at Ingrid. His voice was calm but steely. “Miss.”

Ingrid startled, releasing her grip on Brian.

Brian looked as if he might be sick, his face ashen with fury.

Father Haden’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. “We are here to bless the soul of a lost child, not to air the petty dramas of the living. If your heart is empty of compassion and full only of schemes, I ask you to keep your silence and step aside. Do not disturb the peace of the departed, nor defile the sanctity of this house.”

As his words faded, the chanting in the chapel ceased, and silence flooded the room.

This time, Ingrid clearly understood the priest’s rebuke. Her face turned ghostly pale, and the cup of tea in her hand seemed to burn her. Flustered, she shoved it back into Yves Caldwell’s hands.

Damn it. Elara wins again!

She seethed with resentment.

Elara, satisfied she’d seen enough of Ingrid’s humiliation—and that Brian had suffered enough—stood and walked to Father Haden, pressing her palms together in a gesture of respect.

“Father, the child is gone. Whatever ties bound it to this world have been severed. No parents, no attachments. I’m sure the soul has already found peace. Whether we perform this blessing or not makes little difference.”

Father Haden studied her for a moment, a flicker of understanding and sorrow passing through his eyes.

“Peace be with you. You see clearly, my child. It is I who am clinging to ritual. When ceremony loses its meaning, it becomes empty. Better to let it go.”

Curious about the menu, she parked and went inside.

The place was bustling, every table in the main hall packed. Elara asked the hostess if there were any private booths available, but those were fully booked, too.

A little disappointed, she turned to leave—just as her phone rang.

An unknown number.

She answered. On the other end, Zane’s deep voice rumbled, “Stop.”

Elara froze mid-step.

“Turn around. Upper right, seventy degrees.”

She turned and saw Zane standing in the doorway of a private room on the second floor, waving her over.

“Do you want me to come down and carry you up?” he called.