Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Just as she was staring the hardest, a grotesque skeleton suddenly lunged across the screen!
Peggy shrieked and flung herself backward, falling right off her stool.
“Oh my god, what the hell was that…” She clutched her chest, heart still racing from the scare. “Must be some kind of system glitch. Who the hell rigs a jump scare into security footage?!” Trying to calm down, Peggy gritted her teeth and climbed back up. She wasn’t giving up that easily. But when she looked at the screen again, all she saw was the tail end of the car driving away.
Frustrated, she threw the remote. “Unbelievable!”
She rewound the footage, still unwilling to accept defeat.
But as luck would have it, the skeleton jump scare had completely overlapped with the moment Yunice’s husband stepped out of the car. Not a single frame of his face could be seen.
Peggy frowned. “Seriously, what the hell is going on…”
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Elsie lay in a hospital bed.
The doctor had just finished examining her. “She’s fine. No need to admit her.”
Owen frowned. “She got punched in the stomach several times. How can that be nothing?”
The doctor gave him a look and sighed. “Then take her to another hospital if you’re not convinced.”
So Owen took Lily and Elsie out of the ER and rushed to a different hospital.
This time, the scans showed significant internal trauma-signs of damage to her organs.
Owen immediately arranged for both Lily and Elsie to be admitted.
Lily sat on the adjacent bed, hooked up to an IV. Her throat was swollen and painful. As she cried, she mumbled through her hoarse voice, “How are we supposed to live like this now? Dealing with Yunice is bad enough, and now there’s Peggy too. The two of them tag-teaming, treating us like slaves….”
Elsie leaned her head weakly against the wall, her face drained of all color. “Are we really going to keep living like this, stripped of all dignity? We might as well be dead.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Owen snapped, frowning.
Lily wiped her tears. “Don’t blame her for feeling that way. With a daughter-in-law like Peggy, even I’ve thought about ending it all.”
Owen lowered his head. “You think I wanted to marry a brute?”
“Peggy’s loud and crass. If I hadn’t been worried no one would take care of you both if I went to jail, I’d never have married a woman like that.”
The three of them fell silent, the mood in the room as heavy as a funeral.
Lily absentmindedly rubbed her phone with her fingers, then suddenly, as if by accident, swiped across the screen.
She stared for a second, confused. “When did I record a video?”
Owen and Elsie looked over. What was the big deal about a video?
Lily turned the screen to show them. “Look-it caught everything that just happened in the living room.”
Owen stared. The video showed Yunice forcing him and his mother to slap each other.
Ever since Yunice had left the Saunders family, most of the indoor surveillance cameras had been removed.
That was probably why Yunice had acted without restraint.
She had no idea everything she did had been caught on video.
Owen’s expression darkened. A thought surfaced in his mind.
“Maybe we can use this footage…”
Lily blinked. “Use it how?”
“Use one power to counter another,” Owen said. “Wyatt might be all-powerful, but even he has someone he answers to.”
He took Lily’s phone and transferred the video to his own.
Lily hesitated. “Isn’t this a bit much…”
Owen looked up and scoffed. “Mom, cut the act. You recorded this on purpose, didn’t you? We’re all just trying to drive Peggy out.”
He stared at the video. “This might be our best weapon.”
Back at home, Yunice was reviewing practice questions for her upcoming school exam.
Wyatt came out of the shower and circled behind her, his gaze falling on the scattered formulas on her worksheets.
He leaned against her desk, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. “Northvale Hospital’s finished and started trial operations. We’re short on good doctors…”
Yunice noticed water droplets splashing onto her paper and looked up. “Back off a bit. You’re getting my notes wet.”
Wyatt gave her a glance, dropped the towel on the desk, and leaned closer. “What if I don’t?”
They locked eyes. A moment later, Yunice shifted her gaze, focusing on the sharp line of his nose.
Medical students knew all too well-men with strong nasal bridges usually had better physical performance.
Her lashes fluttered, eyes dropping to his lips.
Then Yunice leaned in slightly and brushed her mouth against his.
Wyatt’s eyes darkened, and the way he leaned against the desk relaxed into something much more possessive.
He adjusted his posture, bent down, and kissed her cheek.
When Yunice didn’t move away, he gently kissed down her neck and collarbone. His hands slid to her waist, moving under her dress, fingers tracing along the edge before pulling it downward.
Yunice didn’t resist. She stayed in the chair and let him take control.
Wyatt’s breathing grew heavy, his excitement rising fast.
Her rare willingness made his blood boil.
He stood up, positioned himself between her knees, and gently nudged her legs apart with his own before dropping to his knees…
At some point, he’d undone several buttons on her shirt, baring her shoulder and part of her chest. Even Yunice, usually so aloof, now had a hint of heat coloring her skin.
Wyatt kissed her slowly from her neck to her navel. As he reached her waist, Yunice ran her fingers through his hair and murmured, “It tickles.”
Wyatt changed course, retracing his steps and continuing lower.
Yunice’s breathing quickened. Her hands tightened around the chair arms, her fingertips trembling faintly.
Wyatt was attentive, always focused on how she felt.
That was why Yunice didn’t mind being with him like this.
Dopamine made people happy, especially when they were feeling low.
Wyatt could make her happy. She liked this part of being with him.
He pulled the silk belt from his robe and whispered near her ear, “Blindfold or wrists?”