To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 57

Brian could hardly miss how official the terms of this agreement were.

Once he signed, even if they divorced, he'd have no excuse to go after the money again.

He knew exactly what she was up to; her intentions were as clear as day to him.

He glanced at the dark circles still lingering under her eyes, his expression softening just a little. "Call me ‘husband' and I'll sign."

…

Brian had barely left when Elara changed clothes and got ready to head out.

She called Summer as she slipped the agreement into her purse.

The phone had barely rung twice before Summer answered—still fuming, Miss Calloway launched into a tirade about Lina the second she picked up.

"I swear, these days the more shameless you are, the more arrogant you get. Who does she think she is? Must've been born with a warped brain, treating that jerk's affection like some kind of shield—can you believe the nerve?"

Elara let her vent, patiently waiting until Summer's rant ran out of steam before responding coolly, "Lina isn't simple. Don't get into it with her."

Summer scoffed. "As if I'm afraid of her?"

Elara stared at the ceiling, her gaze deep and thoughtful.

"She's all the way in Aalborg, but she manages to pull strings from afar. I nearly died, and she waltzed home without a scratch—then somehow convinced Felice Vincent to let her stay. Not everyone could pull that off."

At that, Summer fell silent.

Elara continued, "I exposed her facade with a glass of water. The very next day, she tested Brian with a bottle of body wash to see where his loyalties lay. Once she realized he was suspicious, she used our photo op to patch her story up and slipped her mask right back on…"

She didn't love Brian anymore, but thinking about how he'd abandoned her in her moment of crisis still stung.

"Summer, the only reason I'm fighting her is because I'm stuck in this marriage—I need her to break the stalemate. But she's out of your league. Don't get involved with her, do you hear me?"

Summer bit her lip on the other end. "But it just makes me so mad."

Elara was a little taken aback. "Mrs. Archer, you…"

Mrs. Archer let out a sigh, equal parts regretful and resigned.

"When Mr. Vincent and Miss Vincent lived at the old house, things were fine. But bringing his stepsister to stay here—that's too much. I'll admit, I used to hope you wouldn't divorce him. I was afraid if the family broke apart, Mr. Vincent would send me back to the old house. But I can't let my own interests cloud my conscience. You're right to leave him."

Elara didn't know why Mrs. Archer dreaded returning to the old house, but the fact that she could say this so honestly proved she was a woman of principle.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Archer. No matter who Mr. Vincent ends up with, Platinum Bay will always need someone like you. He won't send you away."

Still, Mrs. Archer's brow remained furrowed, worry etched on her face.

…

Elara dropped the contract off at Ignition Dynamics, then spent the afternoon at the hospital.