To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 91

Elara could hear the edge in Lina's voice—a clear provocation—but she remained utterly unbothered.

She felt nothing for that man now; whatever emotions she'd had were long gone.

"So, all this scheming, pulling strings behind my back… was just so you could keep me tied up while you hopped straight into bed with your brother?" Elara's words were cold, every syllable deliberate.

Lina's smirk deepened. "I'm back now. It's your cue to leave. Your biggest mistake was not divorcing him the minute you had the chance."

Elara had felt a touch of despair earlier, but Lina's smugness flipped some switch inside her. She couldn't help but laugh.

Her laughter caught Lina completely off guard.

"What's so funny?" Lina snapped.

Elara replied coolly, "That kind of man? Anyone desperate enough can have him. But you, throwing yourself at him like that… honestly, it's pathetic."

Lina's eyes narrowed. "Tomorrow, I'll tell you just how good he is in bed."

She stormed out in a huff.

Elara made her way back to the hospital room, where a nurse had just finished tending to Nanette.

"We recommend using a warm towel on the injection site after the shot. It'll help with circulation and let the medication absorb faster," the nurse said, then left without waiting for a reply.

Nanette, who'd been relatively stable all afternoon, now shot her a sideways glare. "Are you just going to stand there like an idiot? Help me up and get that warm compress ready."

Elara set the water jug down and moved to support her, but Nanette shoved her away with surprising force—far more strength than you'd expect from someone supposedly ill.

"Moron! Are you trying to hurt me? The doctor said to adjust the bed first, then add a pillow, then help me up. Can't you do anything right? How did you make it through life?"

Without a word, Elara reached for the bed controls, only for Nanette to bark, "Too high! Lower! Now it's too low! Unbelievable, Elara, you're doing this on purpose to make me uncomfortable. I'm texting my husband right now."

Nanette whipped out her phone and fired off a message, but there was no reply. Frustrated, she redirected her anger at Elara.

When Elara started running cold water into a basin to prep the warm compress, Nanette snapped, "Do you even know what you're doing? Adding cold water—are you trying to sabotage my recovery?"

Nanette sneered, "Weren't you supposed to steal my life of luxury? Look at you now, playing nursemaid—how's that going for your plan?"

Elara didn't answer. Her fingers, angry and red from the heat, trembled as she ran them under cool water in the sink.

Nanette ranted for a while, but when Elara refused to rise to the bait, she got bored and quieted down.

But around midnight, Nanette found a new way to amuse herself. She grabbed an apple from her bedside table and hurled it at Elara.

Jolted awake by the sharp pain, Elara rubbed her head and scowled at Nanette.

Nanette shot her a look of pure disdain. "I have low blood sugar, and you sleep like the dead. What if something happened to me? Are you trying to kill me?"

"Don't worry," Elara said, her tone bone-dry. "People like you are hard to get rid of. Trouble always lives the longest."

She sat up slowly, breathing in deep, steadying herself for yet another round.