Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Maine said. “Wyatt treats you like that and you’re smiling?”
Nora’s tone was composed. “Before I saw Yunice, I was uncertain. But after today, I actually feel relieved.” She stroked the bracelet in her hand and smiled. “Wyatt and Yunice aren’t a real couple. Can’t you tell?” With confidence, she added, “Wyatt married someone who looks like me on purpose-to spite me. That means he still cares. He’s just acting childish and petty because he can’t deal with his feelings.”
Maine looked skeptical. “Nora… don’t you think you’re reading too much into this? Wyatt’s a practical guy. You think he’d do something so… emotional?”
Nora smiled. “You don’t understand, Maine. Men stay boys their whole lives. Wyatt’s no different. I made mistakes before. He’s still resentful. That’s why he refuses to acknowledge his feelings. But I believe-he’ll forgive me. Because deep down, he still loves me.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Maine didn’t know how to respond.
But in her gut, Maine felt Wyatt’s feelings for Yunice were real. Still, she knew it was better for Nora to keep fighting. Because only by fighting could she find out who the real winner would be.
Nora noticed the change in Maine’s expression. “You’re wondering how I can be so sure? It’s simple. Yunice doesn’t care enough. She knows I’m a threat-her biggest threat. But when I was alone with Wyatt, she didn’t follow us in, didn’t even wait outside to see what would happen. That tells me she doesn’t care if Wyatt and I reconnect.”
Maine frowned. Something about Yunice didn’t sit right with her. “Just… stay on your guard, okay? There’s something off about that girl.” She didn’t know exactly what it was-but she’d looked into Yunice’s background. A girl with no influence and no backing, yet somehow she’d managed to survive political chaos, danger, and infighting like a tiny boat riding massive waves. That wasn’t normal.
Wellinges Pharma
Yunice had spent the whole day in the lab. She rubbed her neck and headed to the locker room to change out of her protective gear. When she turned around, she caught sight of someone from the corner of her eye. Her breath caught-then she realized it was Wyatt. He stood there with arms crossed, face grim, radiating pure impatience.
Yunice thought to herself, What’s he mad about? He just saw his ex. Shouldn’t I be the one annoyed?
But she’d learned her lesson. She didn’t question Wyatt about personal matters anymore. As she walked past him, Wyatt reached out and hooked a finger in her collar.
Yunice stopped. “Workday’s over.”
Time to go home.
Wyatt kicked the locker room door shut behind them. The space instantly felt smaller. His eyes pinned her in place, and Yunice instinctively stepped back a couple of paces.
“So Nora came to see me,” Wyatt said. “And you’re just okay with that?”
Yunice replied, “Why wouldn’t I be? If you wanted to lie, I’d never find out. And if you wanted to tell me, why would I need to chase after you?”
Wyatt gave a short, bitter laugh. “So zen about it, huh? Guess you don’t even care what she wanted from me.”
Yunice flinched and shot him a sharp look. Then she grabbed her clothes and turned to leave.
But Wyatt caught her wrist, softening his tone. “If you already know what she wanted, then why won’t you tell me what you think?”
Tell him? And what good would that do?
Yunice was sick of them dragging her into their unfinished business. “Fine. Then I’ll say it. I don’t want you to listen to her. I want Morgan to die in prison, and I want Oscar to be released without charges. Can you do that?!”
Wyatt leaned casually against the wall, like a mischievous schoolboy who’d just won. “Of course I can.”
That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He wanted Yunice to know she could ask him for anything-that she had more right to ask than Nora ever did.
He leaned closer, studying her furrowed brow. “What’s wrong? You that happy, you forgot how to show it? Or do you think I’m just messing with you?”
Yunice stared at him, serious. “You mean it?”
Wyatt sneered. “You think I treat marriage like a joke?”
If he didn’t mean it, why marry her at all? He pulled out a cigarette and held it between his lips. “Let me make it clear-right now, I have zero interest in Nora. She’s awake now. Whatever responsibilities I had to her are done. But I can’t say what she still feels. So I need you, as my wife, to stand with me. Always.”
Wyatt let out a quiet sigh. “You think too much. You overanalyze. From now on, if anyone says something that upsets you, you tell me first-give me a chance to explain. I’ll handle the rest. Understand?”
Yunice looked up at him. “Sure.”
Let’s see if you actually mean that.
She didn’t expect that moment would be tested so soon.
Not long after they returned to Pavilion Hall, Yunice received a call from Quinton.
He told her that a contact inside the prison had just passed on a message: Oscar had been taken for a formal interrogation.
That very night, the media released more details about Morgan’s alleged involvement in the Elsie case, further cementing his connection to the crime.
Yunice had barely begun to feel hopeful when things took a sharp turn.
Just as the police publicly confirmed Morgan as a key suspect and announced his formal arrest-Maine stepped in with a bombshell.
“I have Morgan’s alibi!” she declared.
At a hastily arranged press conference, Maine made her claim. “Morgan and I have been in a secret relationship for the past three years! The night the crime occurred, he was at my private villa. We spent the night together. He couldn’t have been at the scene.”
She even produced surveillance footage. “These are the security recordings from my property and from the public road cameras nearby. They prove what I’m saying is true.”
The footage showed Maine’s car arriving at her villa around 4 PM on the day of the incident.
It wasn’t until the next afternoon that another vehicle was seen leaving the property.
Villa surveillance also captured Morgan and Maine, arms around each other, entering the house together. Later, another camera caught two figures – clearly resembling Morgan and Maine – embracing in front of a large glass window.
All of it supported Maine’s claim that Morgan had been with her that night.
With tears in her eyes, Maine cried, “I’m six years older than Morgan. His family has always disapproved of our relationship. He chose to protect me by staying silent – he’d rather confess than let me be dragged into it. But as his girlfriend, I won’t let him take the fall for someone else’s crime!”
She looked into the cameras, pleading. “Please believe me! No woman would risk her own reputation to lie! Morgan is innocent!”
Yunice slammed her phone face-down on the table.
Fake. All of it was fake!
Maine was lying!
She had bet everything – her reputation, her name – on this elaborate gamble.
Yunice was furious. She couldn’t understand why Maine would go to such lengths for a man accused of murder.
She slowed down the video footage, even brought it to professionals for analysis. Every single one of them said the same thing: there were no signs of tampering. The footage was authentic.
Wyatt stepped out of the bathroom and saw Yunice fuming, her delicate face scrunched in anger. He strolled over and leaned casually beside her, grabbing her phone and glancing at the screen.
He knew exactly what was upsetting her – so he got straight to work.
He sent a message and, without even looking up, said, “The Elsie case is being handed over to the Z Task Force tomorrow.”
Yunice blinked in surprise.
In recent weeks, while gathering evidence to help Oscar, she’d learned a lot about criminal investigations.
The Z Task Force was the most elite and precise forensic unit in the country.
There might be such a thing as a perfect crime, but fake alibis rarely hold up under that team’s scrutiny.
If Maine was lying, they’d expose it.
Still, even with Wyatt going out of his way to help, Yunice couldn’t shake her anxiety. What if the task force confirmed Maine’s story?
She pressed her palm to her forehead, unwilling to stop searching for a flaw herself, when Owen’s call came through.
She answered, and his furious voice exploded through the receiver. “Elsie’s been dead fifteen days, and her final moments are still being dragged all over the internet! I’ve told you again and again to get those videos taken down, but you haven’t done a damn thing!”