Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Maine didn’t dare answer, not until she figured out a way to fix this.
When the battery finally died and the phone fell silent, she felt a moment of relief.
“Nora, I’ve sacrificed so much to help you and Morgan. You better win this. If you don’t, I won’t even have a home to go back to.”
Nora was gripping the parallel bars in her rehab setup, drenched in sweat as she forced herself to move forward step by step.
After lying in bed for three years, her mind was awake again-but her body needed intense physical therapy to return to what it once was.
But she hadn’t made it halfway across the bars before she collapsed with a sharp cry, falling to the ground.
The thud of bone hitting floor made Maine flinch. She rushed over and helped her up, choking up.
“Nora, you can’t rush this! You’ll only end up breaking something, and then your recovery will take even longer!”
Clutching her leg, Nora gritted out, “I just hate being this useless.”
Maine’s voice was tight with emotion. “I get it. I do. But even if you break yourself trying, what good does it do? He won’t care. He won’t even come see you! He knows how much you love Morgan, and he still chose to protect Yunice and her brother. He doesn’t care if you and Morgan live or die! If he hadn’t pressured the police so hard, I never would’ve had to lie on the stand!”
Nora stared at Maine, moved to tears. “Why are you doing all this for me?”
Everyone else had only cared for her because of Wyatt-and they abandoned her just as quickly when Wyatt turned cold. Only Maine had stood by her. Whether she was in a coma or drowning in despair, Maine had always been there.
Can friendship really drive someone to do this much?
Maine’s voice cracked. “You’re up against Wyatt. If I don’t help you, who will?”
Nora said, “But what if I drag you down too? Wyatt’s protecting Yunice like his life depends on it. He’ll take this case all the way to court. I heard he even brought in the special investigation team…”
“Like it’s some huge national case-please,” Maine scoffed. “They’re only involved because someone pulled strings.”
They both knew who Wyatt was aiming at.
Maine grew impatient with Nora’s helpless look and leaned in to whisper an idea in her ear. “Nora, listen to me. Here’s what you need to do…”
These days, Wyatt and Yunice were together around the clock. She barely had a moment alone.
Madam Mary had come by twice trying to smooth things over but hadn’t even gotten to see Wyatt.
After her failed visit, she returned home and saw Nora sitting in her wheelchair. Without a word, she slapped her across the face.
“I should’ve just let you die in that coma. Waking up turned out to be even more useless.”
Nora’s face twisted from the blow, but she didn’t say a word.
She was used to this kind of treatment in the Johnson family.
After Madam Mary stormed off, Mr. Johnson came forward playing the good guy.
“Nora, apologize to your grandmother.”
Expressionless, Nora turned her head and said flatly, “Sorry, Grandma.”
Madam Mary gave a cold snort and rolled her chair away.
Mr. Johnson stayed behind to talk with Nora. “Nora, you can’t blame your grandma. She’s just upset because of Morgan. You’re his real sister-you haven’t forgotten how close you two were when you were kids, have you? How protective he was of you? He’s the one person in this world who loves you most. No matter what, you can’t be the one to abandon him, right?”
Nora’s swollen lips tugged into a faint smile. She looked up and said, “Father, I’ll save my brother.”
Seeing her so obedient, Mr. Johnson lowered his voice. “You still have some sway with Wyatt. Sometimes you have to take the initiative. Don’t play so high and mighty. He’s only known Yunice a few days-you and he have real history.”
Then, with a note of regret, he added, “Back when Yunice, that outcast from the Saunders family, was engaged to Morgan, we didn’t think much of her. If I’d known Wyatt would end up picking her, we should’ve locked her and Morgan in a room and gotten it over with. Would’ve saved us all this trouble.”
But it was too late for regrets now.
After that, Mr. Johnson offered one final reminder. “Wyatt doesn’t want to see you right now, but I paid a lot to get my hands on his schedule. Find the right moment and get him on your side. If you fail, your grandma won’t let you back in the house, and I won’t be able to help you either.”
“… Yes, Father,” Nora said softly.
Northvale Hospital had been running smoothly for three months now.
Wyatt brought Yunice along to inspect the premises-his version of a surprise visit to observe how things were operating.
Wyatt didn’t know a thing about medicine, but Yunice could tell at a glance who actually knew what they were doing and who was just leeching off a cushy position.
She handled the assessments; Wyatt jotted down names in his little notebook, ready to call them out in a meeting later to make an example of them.
“Wyatt!” Jordan jogged over to them. “Wyatt, Ma’am, the director said there’s a new batch of medicine that might be problematic. A few doses have already been used. We need someone both skilled and trustworthy to assess the potential fallout.”
Skilled and trustworthy-obviously, that meant Yunice.
She had a background in pharmaceuticals and medicine, and as Wyatt’s wife, she was the perfect candidate.
The three of them headed toward the director’s office. As they passed the rehab center, Yunice suddenly felt lightheaded.
“Jordan! I’m not late, am I?” Joe rushed over, then lit up when he spotted Yunice. “Hey, you’re here too? Great, the more the merrier!”
Jordan quickly explained, “The director didn’t know you’d be helping, so he notified Joe first.”
But that wasn’t a problem. Another pair of hands was always good.
Just then, Yunice said, “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Wyatt shot her a look, clearly picking up on something. Yunice said, “I just want to walk around a bit. One of the school research projects is related to these departments. If I don’t check now, I’ll have to come back later.”
“I’ll come with you,” Wyatt offered.
“No need. The director’s probably waiting on your decision.”
Then she frowned. “Stop hovering. It’s not like I’m not coming back.”
Jordan and Joe exchanged a look. These two were practically glued to each other.
Yunice shooed Wyatt away, and he didn’t press the issue.
Lately, she seemed to realize the upper hand she had and was much quicker to snap at him. He had no choice but to indulge her.
After Wyatt disappeared down the hall, Yunice pressed a hand to her forehead and turned toward the rehab center.
There was something about the smell in there-it made her dizzy and nauseous.
She walked in and spotted something stuck to the doorframe: a dried reed stick.
Its tip was charred black, still glowing faintly at the core as it released a thin stream of white smoke.
Burning dried reed stems was a traditional mosquito repellent-natural and effective.
But Yunice was extremely sensitive to the smell. Just a whiff gave her vertigo and nausea.
She plucked it down, pulled a spray bottle from her bag, and doused the ember until it went out.
Open flames were banned in hospitals anyway. This thing was definitely against the rules.