To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 310

Elara lifted her eyes, her tone remarkably calm. “I remember those shoes now. They were mine, but I hardly ever wore them. I kept them in the closet at Platinum Bay and left them behind when I moved out. Right now, the only person who can freely come and go from Platinum Bay is Lina.”

Ryan’s eyes lit up as realization dawned. “You’re saying Lina and Ellis are working together?”

A faint smile flickered across Elara’s lips. “I’d say those two have been in cahoots for a while now.”

She paused briefly, then returned to the matter at hand. “I want the fingerprints on those sneakers re-examined. Also, someone needs to collect samples from the dressing room at Platinum Bay. If Lina’s prints show up there too, it’ll go a long way toward clearing my name.”

Ryan smirked a little. “Elara, I could handle all this for you myself.”

Her expression remained steady. “If you want to make absolutely sure I get out of here, have your uncle take care of it.”

Ryan fell silent, unable to argue.

After relaying Elara’s instructions, Quincy Shelton personally set things in motion, instructing the forensics team to re-examine the evidence.

But then, disaster struck.

The crucial sneakers—central to the case—had vanished without a trace.

—

Bar, private room.

“The evidence room logs show the shoes were ‘legally checked out’, but the person whose signature is on the slip swears they never picked them up,” Quincy reported.

Zane swirled the whiskey in his glass. “What about security footage?”

“Nothing. Can’t pull anything up.”

It wasn’t that the footage was missing—someone on Ellis’s side was testing just how far Zane was willing to go.

Zane gave a dry, humorless chuckle. “Fine. Run a full audit on every staff member at the detention center and their immediate family—bank records, all of it.”

Quincy stared, momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the task.

Horace slung an arm around his shoulders, his voice turning uncharacteristically sincere. “You fulfilled your engagement, married a name on a headstone—a transaction, really. Three years of marriage to repay Professor Grove for saving your life, and in exchange, the cure to lift the family curse. You kept your promise, nothing wrong with that. But on paper, you’re single. You have every right to chase your own happiness.”

He raised his glass, clinking it lightly against Zane’s. “You’re in your thirties, Zane. How many women have ever made you actually want something for yourself? Some chances don’t come around twice. Why tie yourself to a ghost marriage for the rest of your life?”

With that, Horace finished his drink and stood up.

“I’m not saying this out of charity. I’m just letting you know—figure out what you want, or I might just make a move myself.”

The door closed quietly behind him, cutting off his retreating silhouette.

Zane set his glass aside and turned to Quincy. “No need to check Surplus’s identity. Let’s just assume it’s her.”

Quincy’s eyes widened in shock.

Was this Zane finally making a choice?

Zane ignored his stunned expression, eyes clear and resolute. “Move faster. I want to see her.”