Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Without Wyatt’s halo, she was just like them. Just an ordinary person.
She understood their uncertainty. And she was well aware of her own shortcomings.
Then someone tagged her and asked if they could meet her husband at the get-together.
Yunice replied, “I’ll have to ask him first.”
The group responded with a flood of emojis: “Totally get it.”
A family like his might not be comfortable with that kind of exposure.
The group chat gradually quieted down.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the sun was sinking. Yunice watched the sunset glow at the horizon, then glanced over at Wyatt sitting outside-legs crossed, quietly looking at his tablet.
She sent him a voice message: “You planning to camp out there?”
Wyatt replied, “I’m just wondering what would happen if I didn’t go to the office for fourteen days.”
His gaze turned playful as he looked at her.
If they stayed locked up together for fourteen days, would they get closer?
Yunice looked at the increasingly serious expression on his face and asked back, “Aren’t you scared?”
She still remembered when she and the other volunteers left the hospital-people looked at them with suspicion and fear. At restaurants, they didn’t even go into private rooms; they asked the staff to bring their food to a separate container unit next door.
Everyone treated them like carriers of the virus. They couldn’t wait to get away from them.
But Wyatt was doing the exact opposite.
Wasn’t he scared at all?
Even though the death rate had gone down, complications and long-term effects were still irreversible.
Like Elsie-she was one of the first to get sick. She was gradually recovering, but now she had complications.
Her nerves had been damaged, and one of her ears had become partially deaf.
It wasn’t a huge disability, but it was still a health issue.
And everyone reacted differently. With so many unknowns, wasn’t Wyatt afraid?
Wyatt said, “Open the door. Let me in.”
Yunice shook her head. No.
Wyatt didn’t push it. He just stayed there until stars appeared in the sky. Only when Yunice changed into her pajamas and went to close the curtains did he finally return to the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Owen was still in the hospital.
His recovery was slow. He’d even coughed up blood for a few days. The virus had been suppressed, but it had caused liver damage. He would need surgery down the line.
Now that the hospital was open again, family members could come in to help care for patients. Owen hadn’t reached Elsie, but he did get in touch with Lily.
Lily said she had a cold and didn’t want to risk passing it to Owen, so she hadn’t come.
But Oscar had visited the hospital. As he looked over Owen’s medical reports, his brows drew tighter and tighter.
Owen had damage to multiple organs. Recovery would be a long road, and his health would be poor for quite a while.
Owen looked at Oscar with emotion. “Oscar, the fact that you came to see me under these circumstances means we’re still family.”
Oscar set the medical file down and said seriously, “I came to see you for a reason.”
Owen asked earnestly, “What is it?”
His expression made it seem like whatever Oscar was about to ask, he’d do his best to fulfill it. Someone who had just come back from the brink of death valued a family visit deeply.
Oscar pulled out a court summons. “This came from the courthouse. It was originally sent to the Saunders family, but no one responded the first two times. So they sent it to me.”
“A summons?” Owen frowned, confused. What kind of trouble had the Saunders family gotten into now? When he finished reading it, his brow furrowed even deeper. Angrily, he asked, “Yunice did this?”
“No. What would she gain from that?”
Oscar’s expression grew more serious as he watched Owen’s reaction. “You read the whole thing, and you still think Yunice did something wrong?”
Owen let out a frustrated breath and folded the summons. “Elsie and I just barely escaped death, and the whole Saunders family is in chaos. I wasn’t expecting Yunice to help us, but she’s making things worse?”
Oscar said, “And you’re not going to say a word about what Mom did?”
Owen looked at him, confused. “Wait… Oscar, you don’t actually believe it, do you? Mom would never slander Yunice. You know what Yunice is like.”
Oscar’s voice rose. “You know what Yunice is like?”
Owen froze.
“Yunice was class rep starting from kindergarten. Her grades were always top-tier. She entered countless competitions. Her room is full of trophies. You forgot? Or is it just because Elsie picked up a few of those awards for her, that now you actually believe they belonged to Elsie?”
Owen argued, “That was all before high school. Plenty of students do well in tenth and eleventh grade, then crash in senior year. Her past grades don’t mean much now.”
“Fine.” Oscar didn’t argue, just continued laying out facts. “Did you forget that in your freshman year of college, Yunice helped you with your homework? She even understood your first-year coursework. You think someone like that needs to cheat on the SAT? Back then, Margaret treated Yunice like her own daughter – she even hired top-tier tutors to teach Yunice and Paul one-on-one. Yunice had already finished all her high school curriculum ahead of time. Those teachers called me multiple times saying she was gifted and begged me not to waste her potential. You didn’t know all that?”
Owen was still trying to find an excuse. “Even if she was smart before, didn’t she waste three years in a mental hospital? She probably forgot everything she learned.”
Oscar shook his head in disappointment. “You really think that little of Yunice?”
“How do I look down on her? I’m just being honest,” Owen said, equally puzzled.
Oscar pressed on. “You’ve imagined every possible way she might have cheated, but not once have you stopped to ask if she might’ve been telling the truth. But it doesn’t matter whether you believe it. The court will sort it out.”
He picked up the summons and turned to leave.
Owen quickly called after him. “Oscar! That’s our mom. You’re really going to drag her into court? No matter who wins or loses, we’ll all come out worse for it!”
Oscar turned back and said coldly, “So deep down, you do know who’s in the wrong.”
“…” Owen’s expression turned awkward. He took a breath. “Does it matter who’s right and who’s wrong? That’s our mom. As her children, are we really going to send our own mother to court? All she did was say a few things. Some people twisted her words and blew them out of proportion. And look – Yunice still got into college. She’s even got media attention now. What’s wrong with just letting this go?”
Oscar snapped, “Easy for you to say. You think she was just talking? How many times has Mom gone after Yunice? It’s only gotten worse because you keep covering things up and playing nice.”
Owen exhaled hard. “Then what do you want?”
Oscar replied, “If we don’t go to court, then Mom needs to apologize to Yunice in front of all of us. In person.”
Owen’s eyes widened, his voice rising. “She’s our elder! You want a mother to bow her head to her? You think Yunice can handle that?”
“Owen!” Oscar growled, his hand nearly jabbing into Owen’s face. “I’m trying to save you! Do you even get that? You think Yunice is still that same girl you could push around? She’s got Wyatt behind her now. Even if she wants to let this go, Wyatt won’t. If this really goes to court, you think you’ll be in control?”
Owen froze, the color draining from his face.
Oscar tossed the summons onto Owen’s lap and said coldly, “Think it over.”