Chapter 262: Found in the Gutter
Seeing that Yunice was still focused on searching, Freya sighed dramatically. “Us women… it’s always the same. Some have people who protect them like precious flowers. Others just get trampled.”
If a woman makes a mistake, she’s nailed to the pillar of shame, dragged through public disgrace, and almost loses her life. But when a man makes a mistake, all he has to do is come home after fooling around, and suddenly he’s praised for “turning over a new leaf.” Love is made by two people, but it’s always the woman who gets the blame. Men remain boys forever, too simple-minded to scheme—according to them, it’s always the woman who seduces first… How convenient, all the excuses they’ve invented to hide the truth.
With a snap, Freya lit a cigarette and exhaled a thin cloud of smoke with icy indifference. Yunice watched her and thought, A woman as beautiful as Freya must have endured her share of slander. She even felt a little ashamed of herself.
When I had first seen Freya in that bunny costume, I had judged her, too. But now, after spending time with her, Freya was actually the one I felt most comfortable with.
Freya looked at the door. “Take your time to look around. I won’t stay here.”
“Okay,” Yunice replied quietly.
Freya walked out but stopped at the door just as she passed Wyatt. “She’s in the sewers looking for her wedding ring,” she said coolly. “Poor girl.” Then she left.
Moments later, Yunice finally found the ring buried in the mud. When she pulled herself up from the sewer, the first thing she saw was a pair of fine leather shoes. She could even see her disheveled reflection in the polished surface. I must have smelled terrible.
Wyatt stood nonchalantly above her, towering like a mountain. His gaze followed her as she rose to her feet, his face unreadable. His eyes drifted to the slap mark on her face, his thoughts growing darker. What had she been doing in the 40 minutes since she had disappeared?
Yunice opened her palm. “I found the ring. I’ll return it as soon as it’s cleaned.”
Seeing no reaction, Yunice quietly returned to her hotel room and took a shower. Then she went to the front desk to pick up a jewelry cleaning solution.
The receptionist called to her. “Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Cooper has already left. He has arranged a car for you. You may leave whenever you’re ready.”
Yunice paused. “Okay,” she replied flatly.
After cleaning the ring, the car Wyatt had arranged took them straight to the hospital where Gill was being treated. Gill had her head wrapped in gauze and was rubbing the back of her scalp, wincing from the pain. When Yunice walked in, she was shocked.
“Ms. Yunice, you… you came alone?”
Of course, I assumed that Yunice was worried about me and had come to check on me. But it was her wedding day; she should be heading home to Pavilion Hall with Wyatt.
Yunice set the tonic supplements on the table and carefully examined the injury. “He had something to do and left first.”
“How could he? What’s so urgent that he’d leave you alone on your wedding day?” Gill raised her head in protest, only to flinch again as the movement tugged at her wound.
Realizing it was only a superficial injury, Yunice let out a sigh of relief. “It’s not his fault. It’s mine.”
Anyone would be furious if something like this happened during their wedding. Wyatt had already shown impressive restraint. If it had been Paul Powell, I probably wouldn’t have made it out alive, at least not in one piece.
Call’s eyes turned red. She held her head and cursed. “Damn Paul Powell!”
Yunice looked up. “Did you see who hit you?”
Gill shook her head. “The bastard came from behind. And I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.” She didn’t notice the flicker in Yunice’s expression. I knew who had hit her.
Earlier, during the wedding, Kingsley had contacted me and said he had a gift to deliver. That’s why I left the room, only to run into Paul Powell. When Kingsley didn’t find me waiting, he feared something had gone wrong and went looking for me. On the way, he’d knocked Gill unconscious.
Yunice didn’t explain any of this. She didn’t want to reveal Kingsley’s involvement. Everything today was my own fault, and I felt guilty towards Gill and Wyatt.
After leaving the hospital, Yunice began to track down Paul’s whereabouts. But Paul, coward that he was, had already fled. Fearing Wyatt’s retaliation, he’d fled abroad that very day. Even his own family couldn’t contact him anymore.
The ironic twist is, before Yunice could find him, a request from the Powell family found her first. The call was from Taylor. But she wasn’t calling for Yunice. She was calling for Dr. Rylie, the other identity of Yunice—owner of Virtue Hall.
“Dr. Rylie, can you come to the Powell residence? I have a patient who really needs your help,” Taylor said politely.