Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
She froze, instinctively standing as her brows drew tightly together. How did they find this place? Did they spot my car? Just a coincidence?
Yunice gripped the edge of the table; her fingers tensed with uncertainty. She couldn’t tell what they were here for.
Before anyone could speak, Melina broke the silence. She set her bowl down and greeted them warmly. “Is that you, Owen and Paul?”
Owen responded with a heavy hum, but his eyes never left Yunice.
Melina said, “Did I just hear you say Yunice’s name? Lauren talks about her all the time. She says Yunice is her best friend, always looking out for her. Did she come today too?”
Her face glowed with hope; she clearly wanted to thank Yunice in person.
But Owen was still staring at Yunice. He finally said, “Grandma, Yunice didn’t come. We’re here for your granddaughter, Lauren. We heard she’s getting promoted and heading abroad. We came to celebrate.”
Yunice’s grip on the table suddenly loosened. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, down to her bones. They knew everything. Owen and Paul knew it all.
Melina couldn’t see. She really thought these men were Lauren’s friends.
But Owen’s gaze was suffocating. He was daring Yunice. Are you really going to keep hiding here?
Yunice drew a slow breath, then spoke in her dialect. “Grandma, I’m going to meet with my friends. I’ll come see you next time.”
She clenched her fists and hurried out of the hospital.
It wasn’t until she ducked into a deserted alley that she finally turned and exploded. “You two cling to me like maggots on a bone. When are you going to stop?”
Owen wasn’t impressed with her outburst. “I looked into your time at the asylum. I know everything about you and Lauren. If you want to keep screaming, go ahead.”
Owen took her back to the Saunders mansion. On the way, Yunice glanced at Paul in the passenger seat. Her expression said it all. Why did you bring him?
Owen was clearly displeased. “It was the Powell family who found out about this. If Paul hadn’t come to me personally, I’d have never known you were capable of something so insane!”
Yunice frowned, saying nothing. But deep down, she felt a wave of relief; so it was the Powell family investigating her. As long as no one had betrayed her, she could live with that. Over the years, she’d found it harder and harder to trust anyone.
When Owen called her to his study, Yunice had assumed he’d finally grown a brain-realizing some things were better said in private than in front of others. But the moment she stepped into the room, she saw everyone was already there.
Lily, whose knee was injured, was seated. Elsic, her fingers wrapped in bandages, stood behind her. The moment Yunice walked in, the two of them looked at her with a complicated mix of sympathy and discomfort-like they pitied her, but also didn’t know how to talk about it.
That one look told Yunice everything; the secret she’d buried deepest was no longer a secret. Paul came in behind her with Owen, who turned around and locked the door.
“There’s no outsiders here,” Owen said. “You don’t have to worry about this getting out.”
Yunice felt a sharp stab in her chest. These people were the outsiders. She sneered. “So, you all know now?”
Elsie’s voice was filled with sympathy. “Yunice, if Owen hadn’t told us himself, we never would’ve known something so horrible happened to you. We really feel for you.”
Owen added, “Elsie cried so hard when she heard, her eyes are all swollen. And her hand’s still hurt; if she keeps crying like that, it’ll slow down the healing.” He meant it as a way to show Yunice that the family cared about her; that they were worried for her.
But Yunice remained cold and numb. “If you knew it would upset her, why did you tell her in the first place?”
“Yunice, don’t be mad at Owen. I kept asking him. I’m part of this family too. I just wanted to help,” Elsie said, looking at her with red, tear-filled eyes, like she was scared Yunice might lash out.
Of course, Owen jumped in to defend her. “Elsie’s just worried about you. Don’t be so ungrateful!” Then he turned to soothe Elsie, “Don’t cry anymore. You love looking pretty; if it affects how your hand heals, that’s not worth it.”
Paul stepped up, dabbing at Elsie’s tears with a tissue. “Her heart’s made of stone. You cry for her, and she won’t appreciate a damn thing.”
See? They said she’d been called in so they could help her, but the moment Elsie shed a couple of tears, the whole room revolved around her again. And of course, they had to throw in a jab-saying she was ungrateful.
Yunice gave a mocking laugh. “Are her tears some kind of magic potion? She cries a little and suddenly I’m supposed to get on my knees and thank her?”
Owen shot her a glare, but she kept going. “Cry, cry, cry-that’s all she ever does. She’s bawled away every ounce of good luck in this house! If a few tears could magically fix my life, then sure-I’ll drop to my knees and thank her myself!”
That shut Elsie up instantly. If she kept crying, it’d seem too performative; but if she stopped, it would look calculated. Owen, too, seemed to realize-maybe for the first time-that crying wasn’t going to fix anything.
Paul narrowed his eyes at Yunice. “You need to tone it down. We’re all here to help you fix this, not be your emotional punching bags.”
“Help me?” Yunice slowly shook her head, as if she’d just heard the biggest joke of her life. If they really wanted to help, they would’ve kept their mouths shut the moment they found out. Not gone around spreading it under the guise of concern until everyone knew.
She wished she could bury her head in the sand. The nightmares she couldn’t outrun, night after night, had now been handed-on a silver platter-to the people who relished seeing her fall. Elsie and Lily? Their mouths were poisoned. They’d love nothing more than to pin her to the pillar of shame. There was no way they’d keep any of this to themselves.
And Paul and Owen? Those two lost their minds the moment emotions got involved. What kind of secrets could they keep? Owen actually thought locking the study door and sealing the windows meant her secrets wouldn’t leak?
The truth was, it had already spilled out like water through a sieve. Owen looked at her like she was some rebellious troublemaker, but no matter how reckless or defiant Yunice was, she was still his sister-still a part of the Saunders family. One day, Oscar would return, and Owen would have to answer to him. So Yunice’s mess had to be dealt with.
He said darkly, “Lauren was the scapegoat you chose for yourself, wasn’t she?” She’d been prepared for it, but hearing Lauren’s name still made her pupils tremble.
Seeing Yunice glaring at him without a trace of regret, Owen continued, “You were afraid the truth behind Lauren’s death would come out, so you kept pretending to be her to visit Melina, didn’t you?”
“No!” Yunice snapped, her voice sharp and forceful, like she was finally letting it all out.
Owen fired back, “No? What do you mean? I’ve already visited Madam Melina a few times. She still thinks we’re Lauren’s friends; she still doesn’t know Lauren died in your place!”
As he spoke, Owen tossed a handful of candy onto the desk. His eyes turned red; he was clearly moved. “Melina even praised you. She said even though she’s never met you, she just knows you must be a good kid. She even asked me to bring you some candy!”
His nose tingled with emotion, but when he saw Yunice still standing there stiffly like a piece of wood, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Furious, he grabbed her and pushed her toward the desk, forcing her to look at the candy.
“She saved these one by one for you-said you’re picky and only eat the good stuff. Do you know how much effort it took for a blind woman in a place like that to stash these away? Do you even think about Lauren’s face every time you visit her? Doesn’t it eat at you at all?”
Yunice’s throat tightened as she stared at the candy. Melina was blind-how could she even tell which ones were good? But these candies were clean, high-end, expensive. She must’ve tried everything, asked person after person, filtered through them all just to set aside these few for her.
Yunice’s fingers curled inward as she gently gathered the candies together, her voice low and quiet. “It’s not like that…”
“What?” Owen’s brows locked in a hard frown. Everything was right there in front of her, and she still wouldn’t admit it?
He snapped, “You think if you just deny it, no one will come after you? The investigation records from the psych ward are crystal clear-Lauren was only outside that day because of you! You tricked her into taking your turn outside, made her carry your bag, and that’s why those lunatics mistook her for you. That’s why they picked her for that game of human pyramid! She was young; she didn’t even know how to play. And just like that, she died in your place…”
Owen was full of guilt and regret.
Yunice gave a bitter smile and replied, “So, since I had experience, I should’ve been the one to die.”
Owen choked on his words; he realized his phrasing had been all wrong. He’d been through that pile-up himself. How could anyone call it a game? It was abuse and torment. Just because Yunice didn’t die the first time it happened didn’t mean they had to keep making her their target. If they hadn’t gotten the wrong person that day, then Yunice might have been the one who died instead.
A heavy pressure sank into Owen’s chest. He still thought Yunice bore some responsibility, but maybe not as much as he’d thought.
Elsie, ever the peacemaker, spoke up gently, “Yunice, of course you feel guilty. I knew you would; that’s why I went to see Lauren’s relatives yesterday and gave them some compensation. You don’t have to carry this alone.”
She hadn’t finished before Yunice cut her off with a sharp glare. “Who did you go see?”
“Huh?” Elsie let out a startled gasp, as if Yunice’s tone had frightened her. She clutched her injured hand and immediately ducked behind Paul.
Paul moved to shield her, snapping coldly, “As long as I’m here, don’t even think about laying a finger on Elsie again!”
Yunice ignored him like he didn’t exist. Her eyes stayed locked on Elsie. “You went to see Lauren’s uncle and aunt? And you gave them compensation?”
Owen stepped in to block her. “Elsie meant well. Lauren died in your place-our family should be the one to make it right. Elsie knew you’d never swallow your pride to do it yourself, so she did it for you. You should be thanking her.”
“I should be thanking her,” Yunice said-and without warning, slapped Elsie across the face. Paul didn’t even have time to react.
No one had expected Yunice to lash out so suddenly.
“You know why I hit you?” she barked, halting both Owen and Paul in their tracks as they moved to defend Elsie.
“You all focused on how Lauren died, but did any of you bother to ask why she was sent to the psych ward in the first place?” Her eyes bore into Elsie.