Chapter 183: Too Late to Leave
Gill was sound asleep on the camp bed, wrapped in a blanket, when she vaguely heard some rustling nearby. She stirred, mumbling as she sat up. “Stupid rat, I’m gonna beat you to death!” She opened her drowsy eyes—and froze. Yunice was standing nearby, boiling water.
Yunice pressed the button on the kettle, then turned slightly to examine the herbs in the apothecary cabinet. A slender, pale wrist slipped out from her sleeve and rested against the bronzed wood; the image looked like a painting.
“Ms. Saunders…” Gill thought she was dreaming.
Yunice turned around when she heard her. “Did I wake you?”
It really was Yunice! Gill nearly burst into tears. She shuffled off the camp bed in her slippers. “Ms. Saunders, where have you been the past few days? I’ve been going out of my mind!”
She’d known Yunice would definitely come back to the clinic, so she’d stayed here day and night, just to make sure she returned safe and sound.
Yunice answered calmly, “I went to Quinton to settle a favor.”
Gill pondered. Quinton?
“He asked me to keep his condition a secret, so I couldn’t contact you these past few days.”
Gill wanted to ask what sort of illness required that kind of secrecy, but Yunice had just said she had to keep it confidential—clearly, it wasn’t something she could share. But at least Yunice was okay.
Thinking back on the chaos of the last three days, Gill blurted out, “The Saunders family and the Powell family have both been looking for you. I heard Elsie’s bones were set, and she was taken back to the Saunders house to recover. Paul still hasn’t gone to see her, and Owen totally blew… Even Mr. Jordan called asking where you were…”
Yunice quietly sifted through the drawers of herbs, listening to Gill ramble on and on, without responding once.
It wasn’t until Gill finally stopped talking that Yunice spoke up, her voice low. “Gill, do you have any dreams? Studying, starting a business, getting married?”
Gill was stunned. Why is she suddenly asking about that?
Yunice set the drawer down and looked at Gill like she’d made up her mind. “Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you completely. Money, connections—I can get them for you.”
Gill brightened. “Ms. Saunders, what happened while you were gone? Did you turn into some…”
Yunice gave a soft grunt. Her expression was stiff as she said, “Quinton owed me a favor. Helping you out is something he can do.”
Sensing something off about her, Gill slowly stopped joking around. She cautiously asked, “Ms. Saunders, did something happen? Did those bastards from Owen’s side mess with you again?”
“No,” Yunice said. “I just think you’re still young. You should be doing something more meaningful with your life—not wasting your time with me, worrying every day.”
Gill’s mouth dropped open. She was stunned for a moment before she finally reacted. “Saying you wanna help me chase my dreams. Miss, you’re really just trying to get rid of me, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.” Yunice lowered her head, rummaging through the drawer of honeysuckle.
Gill instantly choked up, her voice full of resistance. “I’m not leaving. If I go, who’s gonna protect you?”
Yunice replied, “Other than being strong enough to block a few bricks for me, what else can you do? With the Saunders family and the Powell family pressuring us, you’re just a punching bag—cannon fodder at best.”
Gill’s pupils trembled. “You’re really saying that about me?”
“Better decide before I change my mind,” Yunice said flatly. “If you end up beaten to death one day, do you have any idea how much trouble that’d bring me?”
Gill’s throat burned painfully. She stared at Yunice, who hadn’t looked up once, pretending to be busy. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Yunice’s hand.
“Ms. Saunders, did someone say something to you? Is someone threatening you with me? I know you. Whatever awful things you say to me, they don’t work. I know that even if I really were about to get beaten to death one day, you’d still throw yourself in front of me to protect me—just like I’d do for you!”
Gill turned Yunice’s face toward her and looked her in the eyes, her voice hoarse. “Ms. Saunders… is it all just too much? The Saunders family, the Powell family—they’re all ganging up on you. Wyatt’s allegiance is still up in the air. Silverburgh’s turning into a nightmare for you. That’s why you’re scared, isn’t it?”
Gill knew better than anyone how much responsibility Yunice carried. What happened the last few times had clearly left a scar on her. That had to be why she wanted Gill to leave.
If they couldn’t stay in Silverburgh…
Gill got an idea!
“Ms. Saunders, let’s leave Silverburgh! Let’s go somewhere far away—abroad, anywhere—we’ll just get away from all this mess. Nobody’ll ever find us. Didn’t you say Mr. Quinton owes you? Then it shouldn’t be hard for him to get you a fake ID. You’ve got real medical skills—you could make it anywhere. Why stay here in Silverburgh, tangled up with all these awful people?”