To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 79

The sobbing on the other end of the line finally stopped.

"Let's be honest, major depression is a serious mental illness. Mrs. Vincent is half his public image—do you really think he'd risk his reputation by marrying someone unstable?"

All Lina could manage was ragged breathing, crackling through the phone.

"And even if Felice could somehow drop her prejudice, do you really think she'd let a sick woman bear children for the Vincent family?"

Elara could hear Lina's fingernails scraping hard against her phone.

"So really, you were playing the wrong game from the very start."

There was a long, heavy silence before the call finally ended.

Elara could picture Lina now, teeth clenched in frustration.

The thought that Brian would soon pick a fight with Lina on her behalf—and then storm out in anger—actually made Elara feel a little lighter.

Not long after, Brian came out of the bathroom, chest bare.

Elara blinked, quickly looking away. "Your sister called. I picked up. She tore into me—maybe you should go calm her down."

But Brian just walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Time to sleep. Weren't you just saying you were exhausted?"

So he wasn't going to worry about his sister now?

Disgusted, Elara scrubbed at her face with the blanket. "Put your shirt on and sleep in the study."

Brian just laughed. "Not a chance."

Right then, his phone buzzed again—this time a message from Gareth.

Elara couldn't help but grin.

The whole family was determined to push Lina into Brian's arms. If those two didn't end up together, it would practically be an insult to their parents' efforts.

Sure enough, Brian's brow furrowed deeply as he read the text.

"Get some sleep. I'll be back later."

Elara made an exaggerated "be my guest" gesture. "Go on, and don't bother coming back."

Brian realized she genuinely didn't care if he stayed or left, and annoyance flickered across his face.

She got up and headed for the bathroom.

By the time she finished freshening up, Brian was getting dressed.

Elara wrinkled her nose at the lingering scent of him on her pajamas and tossed them straight into the laundry basket.

She quickly brushed her hair and made for the door, but Brian stepped behind her and held her in place.

She figured he wanted to start another argument.

"Sure, I upset your sister last night. But is she dead? If she ever does drop dead, you and I can settle the score then—once and for all."

With that, she tried to pry his hands off.

But instead, he produced a hair clip and fastened it gently in her hair.

Lustrous pearls caught the light, making even the stray wisps of her hair seem soft and radiant.

He knew her—knew that pearls suited her best.

"Diamonds never impressed you. Each of these is a top-grade South Sea pearl. Would they meet Mrs. Vincent's standards?"