Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Yunice’s eyes narrowed in amusement as she smiled gently. “If you have time to argue with me here, why don’t you go back and make a new batch for him? Otherwise, he’ll be in pain.”
Wyatt let out a soft chuckle. Seeing that the farce was over, he prepared to leave. Seeing this, Yunice was about to follow Wyatt when an idea struck her. She turned back and, with a mischievous smile, raised an eyebrow at Elsie. “By the way, that medicine isn’t called ‘leg injuries’ medicine. It’s called ‘Beloved,’ and I personally developed it.”
With a mocking laugh, she turned to catch up with Wyatt. Paul stood there, his eyes locked on Yunice’s retreating figure. “Beloved.” His expression grew despondent, as though a long-forgotten memory had been stirred. Yunice followed Wyatt back to the hospital room.
Joe diligently prepared the plaster, and upon seeing Yunice, he casually greeted her. “Ms. Saunders, I forgot to ask last time. What’s the name of this plaster?”
Yunice froze for a moment, a strange expression crossing her face.
Joe immediately realized his mistake, covering his mouth as he remembered that Yunice had specifically told him not to mention it to Wyatt the last time she wrote the prescription. Wyatt glanced at the medicine in Joe’s hands and immediately recognized it as the same plaster he had been using recently for his leg. With a sarcastic tone, he said, “It’s called ‘Beloved,’ right?”
Joe, thinking Wyatt was teasing Yunice, was surprised by his sudden playful demeanor but still complimented him. “That’s a good name!”
Yunice’s face flushed, but she said nothing. She had actually come here to thank Wyatt properly, then head home. After all, Wyatt was not a close relative, so she could not just linger around his place, could she?
Standing like a good student, she sincerely expressed her thanks, and Wyatt simply acknowledged her with a grunt. Nothing more was said. Yunice understood his unpredictable temperament, so she did not push for more conversation. Instead, after a brief glance at Wyatt, she turned on her heels and hurried over to the dresser, clutching the pink scarf to her chest. Noticing Wyatt looking her way, she quickly bowed in gratitude once more before turning to leave.
Joe teased, “Ms. Saunders really is something, acting like a schoolgirl bowing to her elders.”
Wyatt’s face darkened as he casually knocked over a bottle of medicine on the counter. Joe quickly retracted his grin, realizing his mistake. “Mr. Cooper, don’t pour poison into ‘Beloved’ now!”
Seeing Joe still joking, Wyatt picked up the bottle with his fingers, preparing to silence him. Joe hurriedly waved his hands and stepped back. “Mr. Cooper, please, please, no need for that…”
As Yunice left the hospital, a figure approached her from the front. After her kidnapping ordeal, Yunice still carried some lingering fear. So, when she saw someone walking toward her, her first instinct was to retreat. However, the person immediately stopped and, holding up their phone, said, “Ms. Saunders, don’t be afraid. I’m here on Mr. Cooper’s orders.” The phone was still on call, and Wyatt’s voice came through the speaker, “Get in the car.” It was clear that he was talking to Yunice.
Yunice belatedly murmured an “Oh,” though it seemed the other side did not hear her, as Wyatt hung up immediately afterward.
The silence in the enclosed space made it easy for one’s mind to wander, to lose focus. Yunice leaned back against the seat, unknowingly thinking of Wyatt. Why did he always get angry for no reason? Could it be a midlife crisis for men?
In Paul’s hospital room, he sat on the bed in a daze after Elsie pushed him back. She spoke to him, but he did not respond, as though he had not heard her. Elsie thought he was too pained to focus and decided to turn around and get him some painkillers.
Left in peace, Paul finally turned his gaze to the window, his mind occupied with Yunice’s words, ‘Beloved.’ Long ago, when he had injured his leg, it had been Yunice who stayed by his bedside, repeatedly making and testing the medicine. At that time, he had been impatient with the pain, annoyed by her presence, even scolding her. Then she had stepped back, avoiding him while making the medicine. Two days later, she returned with dark circles under her eyes, her body covered in scrapes, but with a new batch of medicine. Once applied, the pain faded.
It was only afterward that he learned Yunice had not slept those two nights, trying various concoctions and searching every pharmacy in the city for a rare ingredient. She even fell, injuring her hands in the process. Back then, young and pure in his feelings, Paul could not help but be moved by Yunice’s dedication. Proud of his devoted little wife, he had impulsively suggested naming the medicine Beloved as a reward for her. He even boasted about opening a hospital for Yunice to run as the head, where she could spread her medicine and where ‘Beloved’ would symbolize their perfect love for all eternity.
He still remembered her expression when he said it. At first, she had frowned at the name, but after hearing his lofty ambitions, she smiled, seemingly touched. Paul chuckled to himself, recalling that moment. But after laughing aloud, he suddenly froze. What am I doing? Am I going nuts? Why am I thinking about the past now?
Yunice no longer liked him. She even hated him, wishing he would stay far away from her. She had even resorted to scheming, deliberately pushing him toward Elsie. Paul clenched his fist, still unwilling to accept it. Even though he had not married her as promised, did the twenty years they had spent together not deserve to make them friends?
Why was Yunice being so heartless toward him? Not even willing to give him the medicine.
“Paull!” Elsie ran over, holding a new batch of plaster, proudly announcing, “I’ve made you a fresh batch of medicine. I guarantee it’ll relieve the pain the moment you apply it.”
Of course, Elsie did not know how to make real plaster. All she did was spray a topical anesthetic on an ordinary plaster.
“Take it away, I don’t need it,” Paul snapped, not even sure who he was angry at, his tone venomous. “I don’t believe that bastard can endure the pain while I can’t.” He was determined to show Yunice that he was no worse than Wyatt.
When Yunice returned to the Saunders mansion, the door was not locked because Elsie and Owen had not returned yet. It was already close to 3 a.m., and Lily had long since gone to bed. The lights in the living room were on, and as soon as Yunice walked in, she saw gifts piled on the floor. She paused for a moment, and when she saw the white dove sticker on the intricate wooden box, she immediately knew whose it was. Engagement gifts were only left out in the living room when there were too many to fit anywhere else. Paul was clearly still quite attentive toward Elsie.
Yunice returned to her room, but despite lying in bed, she could not fall asleep. Elsie marrying into the Powell family would only further steal her identity. So, what should my next move be? Perhaps Quinton would be the breakthrough I needed. Her intuition told her that Quinton would definitely seek her out again.
The next morning, Yunice slept in late. After all, no one in this house would care about her. When she left her room, she saw Lily sitting in the living room. Yunice immediately turned to go back to her room. Unexpectedly, Lily, for the first time ever, called out to her, “Yunny, come here.” Lily rarely smiled so gently at her; her eyes were shining with a maternal glow. Yunice was momentarily stunned and, almost by instinct, walked over.
Lily patted the seat next to her, pulling Yunice down beside her. They sat close together, and Yunice could even feel the warmth of Lily’s body. The maternal love she had longed for so much seemed to be right there, yet it made her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
Unaware of Yunice’s discomfort, Lily flipped through a fashion magazine in front of her and asked, “Yunny, do you think this wedding dress is beautiful?”
Sensing her approval, Lily’s expression softened. She turned her body, gently taking Yunice’s hand and placing it in her own. With a hint of guilt, she said, “Yunny, you must not know yet, but Elsie is getting married.”
Yunice did not know what she was trying to say, but she felt numb as Lily held her hand. Lily had purposely left the engagement gifts out, hoping to prepare Yunice for the news when she came home. The past few days had been restless for her. At first, she was happy for Elsie, but gradually, a sense of emptiness started to settle in. She sighed and said, “Yenny, I know you’ve suffered a lot. Every time I think about it, I feel so distressed…”
“Once Elsie gets married and moves into the Powell family, it’ll just be the two of us in this big house.” Lily’s voice faltered, her eyes reddening. Whether she was grieving Elsie’s departure or touched by the sudden closeness with Yunice, it was unclear.
Though Lily’s feelings for Yunice were shallow, after all, she was her own flesh and blood. Late at night when insomnia hit, Lily would often feel guilty. But this guilt always came quickly and left just as fast. Occasionally, she thought she should be closer to Yunice, but at other times, her heart harbored resentment.
When she had been rescued from the mountains, wearing rags and gaunt from hardship, and walked through the gates of the Saunders mansion, she had seen Yunice dressed in a princess gown, raised in luxury and privilege. She had felt a deep sense of hatred. If it were not for giving birth to her, she would not have argued with Willi. Without that argument, she would not have left in anger and been abducted into the mountains, enduring endless humiliation. While she suffered through daily beatings and insults, living in a haze, Yunice had been enjoying her life. It felt so unfair.
But now that Elsie was getting married, Lily felt that her emotional anchor was leaving, and she remembered Yunice again. Watching Yunice spend three years in the insane asylum, her face ruined, transforming from the adored princess into a pitiful, ordinary soul, Lily’s resentment slowly began to fade. Perhaps it was because she felt empty, but now, she even felt some sympathy for Yunice.
She reached up and affectionately tousled Yunice’s hair, saying, “Once Elsie is married, we’ll forget all the unpleasantness from the past. We’ll still be family.”
Yunice had no idea what dream Lily was living in. When she said they would forget the past, did she mean all the slanderous accusations against me, pushing me into the insane asylum for three years? Or how she had traded my identity for Elsie, constantly showing favoritism? Did she think that with Elsie’s marriage, everything could be forgi…
The Daughter in the Shadows
Yunice instinctively took a step back, putting distance between herself and Lily; her eyes clear and unwavering.
“I won’t forget about what happened. Unless you can make Elsie return my identity to me, only then can I truly call you family.”
The shock on Lily’s face was the only answer Yunice needed. She let out a faint, self-mocking laugh. “You don’t need to waste your efforts comforting me anymore. I won’t blame you.”
And I’ll never expect anything from you again.
Perhaps realizing she was in the wrong, Lily opened her mouth but found herself unable to utter a word. But no matter how guilty she felt, she could not ask Elsie to give Yunice her identity back. Elsie had long secured her place in the Saunders family using that name. If she returned it now, wouldn’t all her years of effort be in vain?
“Yunny, do you know how much your words cut into my heart like a knife?” Lily’s voice trembled, torn and anguished. “Do you think I’m trying to comfort you with empty words? I want to be close to you. We’re mother and daughter, not enemies. Are you really willing to sever ties with me forever over a mere household registration paper?”
“You and Elsie are both my precious daughters. If I could only choose one, what would you have me do?” Lily wiped her tears, her voice choked with emotion. “Elsie may have taken your name, but she’ll marry out one day. Everything in the Saunders family will still be yours. Your two brothers will look out for you; you’ll be able to sleep in as late as you like, with no need to serve in-laws, no need to support a husband, or raise children. What more could you possibly want?”
Lily was more distraught than Yunice. She simply could not understand what Yunice was fighting for.
Why couldn’t our family just live in harmony?
Yunice watched her mother weep and lament, but her expression remained indifferent. She did not even hand her a tissue.
Harmony, harmony. She only ever spoke of harmony. Never once did she speak of fairness.
In a family where balance was already lost, where one person bore all the losses while another reaped all the benefits, there could never truly be harmony. And the moment Yunice refused to keep losing, she became the villain who destroyed that fragile peace.
Lily, exhausted from crying, lashed out again. “It’s your own fault for failing to keep a man. The Powell family didn’t want you. It’s not like Elsie snatched anything from you. What’s the point of sulking and giving us the cold shoulder all day?”
It could only take a true mother to say anything as sharp, straight to the heart with every word. As if her grievances only counted if she could make Yunice feel even worse.
Yunice could only sigh. Lily’s brand of dramatics, it seemed, she only dared to unleash on her.
Lily waited for Yunice to explode; to shout, to cry, and to lose control. But none of that happened. Instead, Lily grew more agitated, like a petty villain throwing a tantrum with no one left to fight. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her whole body bristling with frustration.
“Madam Lily, someone from the Powell family is here again!” Giana practically skipped into the room, her steps light like a bird bringing good news.
Lily’s heart skipped when she saw the man following behind Giana and immediately recognized him. It was the Powell family’s steward, Luke. He had come before when the Powell family sent engagement gifts. Lily quickly adjusted her expression, wiping away her tears as her attitude shifted completely.
Yunice, get up quickly, she said, pulling Yunice along to greet their guest.
Behind Luke stood a woman carrying a suitcase.
Luke nodded politely. “Madam Lily.”
After the brief exchange, he turned to Yunice with a rare smile. “Looks like we arrived just in time. Ms. Saunders is home.”
This instantly reminded Lily of something. She fumbled for her phone, saying quickly, “I’ll call Elsie right now and have her come back.”
“No need,” Luke interrupted her, gesturing toward the woman beside him. “This is the tailor. She’s here to take Ms. Saunders’ measurements for her wedding dress.”