Chapter 186: The Secret Exposed
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!”