To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 62

Summer grabbed her half-empty can and took another swig.

"If I'm a joke, then what does that make me? The woman who can't even run her company right, but still brags about it in the alumni group chat—am I the free pack of tissues you get with your punchline?"

Elara let out a laugh, but tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

"Just ten more days and I'm free. I know I have to hang on till then, but God, it's so hard."

She threw her arms around Summer and sobbed.

Summer hiccupped, tipsy.

"When you finally get divorced, I'll throw you a midnight street food party—make it a full-on ‘Welcome Back to Single Life' bash. I'll even invite a table of gorgeous guys, each with six-pack abs and a T-shirt that says ‘Congrats, Girl, You're Reborn!'"

Elara actually considered it for a moment. "Sounds great, but could you please stop stealing my drinks? If you want more, just get your own."

"No way, yours tastes better."

They went back and forth like this, laughing and teasing.

By the time Brian found them, Summer was so drunk she'd practically forgotten her own name. Elara was leaning against her shoulder, looking like the world had wronged her.

"My husband," Elara began, voice trembling, "sneaks into another woman's room in the middle of the night, wraps her in his arms, and whispers, ‘Don't be scared, I'm here for you.' But me?"

She pointed out at the pitch-black sea.

"When my car was sinking into the ocean, all I wanted was to hear those words—‘Don't be scared, I'm here.' But I was only good for apologizing to other people."

She laughed then, at how pathetic she felt, at how thoroughly she'd lost.

Summer patted her in a daze.

"It's fine. You don't love him anymore. He and his ‘sister' are attached at the hip anyway. Just think of yourself as their mom and enjoy the front-row seat to this family drama. You'll never run out of popcorn."

Brian's expression darkened at that. He strode over and pulled Elara to her feet.

"How much did you drink?"

The sound of his voice snapped Elara out of her tears, and she glared at him.

"Get your filthy hands off me. How much I drink is none of your business!"

Elara thought, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "No matter how filthy my words, they'll still be cleaner than you and your sister."

Brian's jaw tensed. He could tell she thought she was still sober, but she was far gone.

He didn't argue with drunks. Instead, he drove her back to Platinum Bay.

By the time they arrived, dawn was breaking and Elara was fast asleep.

Brian unbuckled her seatbelt; even half-conscious, she recoiled from his touch.

"You're disgusting…"

His eyes darkened, but he still picked her up gently.

Lina was waiting at the door, watching as he carefully lifted Elara out of the car, her nails digging unconsciously into her palm.

As Brian passed, he bent his head to brush a stray lock of hair from Elara's cheek, the gesture so familiar it was almost painful to watch.

Lina's eyes flashed cold as she hurried after them.