Chapter 763 Cracks in the Wall
Yunice’s gaze wavered at Wyatt’s words. She studied him, her voice low. “You’ve been keeping track of him? But… you used to—”
Used to hate Oscar.
If not for one lie he’d told in the past, maybe so much pain could have been avoided.
Wyatt’s expression was calm. “I did hate him. But later, I let it go. He’s your brother, and he never truly crossed the line. You forgave him. So I forgave him too.”
Yunice fell silent. Perhaps this was what people meant by love me, love my kin.
The trip was everything a family holiday should be. Wyatt had arranged everything with meticulous care. They checked into the most luxurious resort, their room overlooking the sea, with a private stretch of beach.
The next afternoon, Wyatt and Mindy busied themselves building sandcastles, laughter carrying on the breeze. Yunice sat under the shade of a palm tree by the pool, watching them play. Her lips curved in a soft smile – happiness, pure and simple.
Then, a hesitant voice broke into her reverie.
“Excuse me… are you Ms. Yunice?”
She turned, startled. A young woman stood there, beautiful but clearly uneasy. Yunice recognized her instantly – it was the woman who had been with Oscar on the plane.
Her heart sank. How did this stranger know her name so precisely?
The smile on her face cooled, her tone polite but distant. “I am. And you are?”
The woman seemed relieved yet more flustered. Her hands twisted together. “Forgive me for disturbing you, Ms. Saunders. My name is Wendy. Yesterday… we saw each other on the plane.”
She hesitated, gathering courage. “I only know your name because of Oscar. I also know… you’re his sister.”
Oscar?
Hadn’t he chosen to be a stranger to her? Why send his companion now?
Yunice’s brows knit tighter. Annoyance pricked beneath her ribs, threaded with confusion.
What game was he playing?
Sensing her displeasure, Wendy rushed to explain. “Please don’t misunderstand! He didn’t send me. I came on my own. Last night, when we returned, he drank heavily – so heavily I’d never seen him like that. He kept saying your name, over and over, apologizing, saying he had no face to see you.”
Her voice caught with emotion. “I’ve been with him a year. He’s always calm, restrained, even cold at times. I never imagined he carried such pain… such regret. When he sobered up, he realized he’d spoken too much. He forbade me to ask questions, forbade me to see you. But I couldn’t bear it, Ms. Saunders. I couldn’t watch him torture himself.
“So I checked the hotel registry and found you. I thought… maybe you both need a chance. Maybe just one chance for him to say sorry, properly, to your face.”
Yunice was stunned.
She had prepared herself for many possibilities – Oscar testing her, his woman provoking her. But not this.
Pain? Guilt?
Drunk, whispering her name?
All along, Yunice had believed she alone had chosen to break the Saunders family apart, while Oscar had wanted to preserve it. They had always walked opposing paths.
When she tore everything down, she resolved to cut him out of her life. And when Oscar was released, he too had chosen distance, treating her like a stranger, not sparing her a glance.
She had thought he hated her.
Hated that she dismantled the family he’d wanted to save. Hated that she’d sent their mother to prison. Hated that Owen had died, leaving Oscar powerless.
Hated that she alone controlled the Saunders name and Saunders Hospital, leaving him cast out.
And so, when she faced him, she had never truly been calm.
She believed his feelings were tangled: a brother’s blood bond, drowned beneath layers of resentment.
Yet now, Wendy’s words cracked something deep inside her, a hairline fracture in the wall she had built for years.
Regret? Pain? Missing her?
The questions she had buried began to stir.
But trust did not come easily.
Her voice was dry. “Ms. Wendy, thank you for your good intentions. But this is between siblings. It ended years ago. I’m sorry, my husband and daughter are waiting.”
She rose to leave.
The past had cut too deep. She couldn’t afford to reopen it.