Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
“Don’t tell him it came from me,” Yunice replied. “I don’t want to be involved with him.”
Madam Johnson’s illness had been handled. She likely wouldn’t cross paths with Wyatt again.
After being discharged, Yunice went to stay with Gill to recover.
When Gill saw the wound on her face, she was beside herself with worry.
Yunice said she’d caught a fever and taken a fall on the sidewalk.
(Continued)
Elsie and the others had returned from their trip. It was time for Yunice to pack up and go back to the Saunders household. Before leaving, Yunice gave Gill the bank card Madam Johnson had gifted her. “Take the money out and invest it. Stocks, something with growth.”
She didn’t need it for now, and Gill could manage the funds in her name.
Gill didn’t want to let her go. “Ms. Yunice, why go back there? You’ve got medical skills. You can make money on your own. Why let them treat you like this?”
Yunice gave her a gentle smile. “I need to reclaim my name. I don’t want to spend my life being a nobody with a mental health record.”
Gill had no smile left. She couldn’t help; she just stood there, quietly hurting.
Yunice said goodbye. “I’m off.”
She took a cab back to the Saunders residence. The moment she arrived, she saw several luxury cars parked in the yard. Not just Owen’s and Elsie’s-there was also one from the Powell family.
Inside the living room, she found Paul already there. He and Elsie were sitting on the couch. No sign of Owen or Lily. Paul’s face was mottled with bruises. Elsie dabbed ointment on his wounds with a cotton swab while he winced.
Just then, Owen came down the stairs. He looked up, ready to snap at her.
“You finally decided to come-” He stopped midsentence, his expression freezing.
Then he rushed down the stairs three steps at a time, grabbing Yunice’s arm in alarm.
“What. What happened to your face?”
Only now did Elsie and Paul notice her. Elsie stood up in shock, hurrying over to get a closer look. She was so focused on Yunice’s face, she didn’t notice Paul’s reaction at all. He remained frozen on the couch, eyes lowered, unable to meet Yunice’s gaze.
Yunice understood immediately-he hadn’t told them he was the one who hit her. Owen’s grip tightened. “Say something! What happened to your face!”
Yunice pressed her lips together and lied. “I had a fever. Fell and hit the curb.”
Paul stared at her, stunned.
Paul knew Yunice was coming back today, so he rushed over to check on her injuries. He hadn’t meant to hit her-he’d just lost his temper. He was ready to apologize. What he didn’t expect was for Yunice to cover for him. But instead of feeling relieved, Paul felt even more ashamed in front of her.
Owen still had a firm grip on Yunice’s arm. “You have a fever? How did that even happen?”
Yunice kept her eyes down. “No one left me a key, so I had to wait outside. I guess being out in the cold for so long made me sick.”
“No one left you a key?” Owen looked baffled. “Why didn’t you just call Mom?”
As soon as Lily’s name came up, Elsie jumped in. “Yunice, you’re an adult. Use some common sense. Did you really have to stand out in the cold like that?”
Owen chimed in, clearly annoyed. “Seriously. That was dumb. You couldn’t find somewhere else to go?”
She didn’t have a place to go or a dime to her name-where was she supposed to stay for three days? If Gill hadn’t taken her in, Yunice could have died from her illness, and no one would have even noticed. But none of them thought they were to blame. To them, it was all just Yunice being stupid.
Elsie pressed again. “So, where exactly have you been staying? Owen and I went to the Johnsons, and they said they hadn’t seen you at all.”
Paul turned to Yunice when he heard that. He was certain she had been staying with Wyatt. The image of her throwing herself in front of danger for Wyatt made Paul’s blood boil. The anger and guilt twisted inside him.
Yunice knew Elsie was just being nosy, but she didn’t give her what she wanted. “I stayed with Madam Margaret,” she said.
Paul’s brow furrowed hard. She was lying! He shot up from his seat. “Yunice!” He couldn’t keep letting her get away with this. Owen needed to step up and put a stop to it.
His sharp tone drew Owen’s and Elsie’s attention. Yunice looked past them and locked eyes with Paul. Her face was calm, like she couldn’t care less if he exposed her. But when he looked at the scar on her face, Paul started to back down again.
Elsie walked over, looking confused, and slipped her hand into Paul’s. “Paul, what’s going on?” She’d caught the change in his expression. Her eyes darted nervously between him and Yunice. Something wasn’t right. It felt like the two of them were keeping something from her.
That’s when she noticed. She lifted Paul’s hand and frowned. “Wait-why aren’t you wearing the ring I gave you?”
She shot a quick glance at Yunice, her gut telling her this had something to do with her. Paul taking off the ring-it couldn’t be a coincidence.
Owen didn’t pay attention to the tension between them. His expression was tight as he pulled Yunice aside and led her over to where the light was better so he could get a good look at her face. The more he looked, the more upset he got. His voice turned rough. “Of all places… why your face?”
Yunice didn’t answer. He’s not worried about me. He’s just mad the scar’s in a spot people will notice. That’s why he’s upset.
Sure enough, Owen followed up with a sharp accusation. “Did you do this on purpose? You trying to get out of the engagement or something?” But right after he said it, he seemed to realize how dark that sounded. He quickly backpedaled. “You should go lie down. I’ll find someone who can help treat the scar.”
Yunice said nothing and quietly went back to her room. This was the only room in the whole Saunders house where Yunice felt even remotely at ease. She sat at the desk, chin in hand, staring off blankly as she tried to figure out what to do next.
That’s when the old phone Elsie had given her suddenly started ringing. Yunice barely used that phone-and she’d never given the number to anyone. Who else would call her besides someone from the Saunders family?
She stared at the screen as it buzzed. Right before the call ended, she picked it up. “Hello?” A calm, steady male voice came through. Yunice was sure she’d heard it somewhere before. When she stayed quiet, the man went on, “Hey, it’s Quinton Ford. We met at Hotel Marcellus. You remember me, right?”
Back then, Owen had only introduced her as a distant relative. So how did Quinton know she was part of the Saunders family?
Yunice answered slowly. “Hi.”
Quinton clearly hadn’t expected her to be so reserved and got straight to the point. “Here’s the thing. I’m interested in the Saunders family’s medical notes. But Ms. Yunice told me you burned them. Is that true?” Quinton had that sharp, impatient tone of someone used to being in charge-like he was taking it out on Yunice, maybe even holding her responsible for what happened.
And when Yunice heard him call Elsie by her name, her chest burned. Her fingers clenched tightly around the phone.
When Yunice still didn’t answer, Quinton’s voice turned colder, his patience wearing thin. “Maybe you don’t know who you’re dealing with, but I don’t give up on things easily-especially not those medical notes. If you can rewrite them from memory, name your price-whatever you want.”
Yunice didn’t flinch. “I can’t.”
“Ms. Yunice said you have an exceptional memory,” he shot back. “You just don’t want to-“
Yunice let out a breath. Of course. Elsie always finds a way to make my life harder.
“She lied. I’ve got a terrible memory. I’m mentally ill,” she said flatly, her eyes drifting toward the window, brows slightly furrowed. She thought she’d heard something earlier. Now, seeing the window shift slightly, she was sure something-or someone-was out there.
She set the phone down and moved toward the window quietly, missing Quinton’s final threat as the call cut off. At the window, Yunice stood still as she watched a thin wire slip through the gap, hooking the latch and twisting until it snapped free. Security cameras were installed on the outside wall, but the window wasn’t large-just meant for ventilation, so no security measures were in place. Yunice had no idea who was trying to break in.
Click. The lock gave way. A second later, the window was shoved open from the outside. Paul had one foot on the sill, both hands gripping the frame. He froze, startled by Yunice standing right there. But he recovered quickly and started to climb in.
Yunice moved faster. She shoved against him. “Get out!”
Paul frowned and glanced over his shoulder, then said, “Someone’s coming. You really want them to see me climbing through your window?”
Yunice’s face tightened. Paul was the one breaking the rules, but somehow she was the one getting cornered. Because everyone knew how things worked in the Saunders family-no matter who messed up, the blame always landed on…
“I’m serious, someone’s coming!” Paul whispered, urgency creeping into his voice.
Yunice clenched her teeth, then stepped aside. Paul climbed in and shut the window behind him. Outside, Elsie had followed and was pressed against the wall, eavesdropping. Inside, neither of them noticed. Yunice sat back at her desk with a cold expression and glanced at her phone. Quinton had already hung up.
Paul glanced around, taking in the familiar setup of her room. He quietly drew in a breath. That faint scent lingering in the air-hers-was both distant and familiar. It reminded Paul of something he hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t sweet or particularly pleasant. More like herbs and old wood, with that sharp medicinal edge. He used to complain.
He shook off the thought, slid one hand into his pocket, and walked over with practiced cool. “Thanks for not throwing me under the bus with Owen earlier.”
Yunice looked up at him. Even when he apologized, he did it like he was doing her a favor-head up, chin lifted, looking down on her the whole time. Paul had been with plenty of women over the years, but Yunice had only ever seen him let his guard down for one-Elsie. When Elsie was mad, he’d crouch in front of her, looking up just to meet her eyes-desperate for even a flicker of her attention. When she smiled, he lit up like it was the only thing that mattered. His eyes never left her-they followed her like she was the center of his world. He was the classic spoiled rich boy, through and through. And yet, he must really love Elsie-because he actually changed for her.