Chapter 125: No One to Protect but Herself

But it seemed Lily had forgotten—Yunice was her flesh and blood, too. Lily glared at Yunice, and Yunice, eyes rimmed red, glared right back. They didn't look like mother and daughter; they looked like enemies locked in a death match.

As the heat of the moment cooled, a sliver of reason returned to Lily’s mind. Her gaze drifted downward—Yunice’s hand was trembling at her side. A thin line of blood snaked down her fingers, dripping steadily onto the floor. Lily’s heart pounded; her head swam. It was only then that the reality struck her—Yunice was her daughter, too.

“Mom, my hand hurts so much. I think something’s broken,” Elsie sobbed, holding her injured hand, tears streaming down her face.

Her crying startled both Owen and Lily, pulling their eyes away from Yunice. With matching looks of concern, they hurried to lift Elsie up and rushed to get her medical attention.

Paul looked at Yunice and scolded, “You went too far. Elsie had nothing to do with any of this—why take it out on her?”

Yunice didn’t respond. Paul paused, then heard Owen calling him and had no choice but to follow him to the hospital.

In the blink of an eye, the massive Saunders mansion was empty again—except for Yunice. Just like always, everyone rushed to care for Elsie. Even if Yunice was hurt worse. Even if Yunice was the real victim. She had long grown used to this kind of treatment. There was no time to brood over how unfair life was or mourn the coldness of those around her.

Yunice turned and went back to her room, pulled out the first-aid kit, and started tending to her own wounds. All these years, she’d learned how to face everything alone. But just because she could endure pain didn’t mean she’d swallow it down. Didn’t mean she’d suffer in silence forever.

Eisie’s test results came back; her fingers were only slightly swollen—nothing broken. Owen’s ear had torn, but it was already bandaged. Lily finally let out a breath of relief. After seeing Paul off, she shut the door and turned on Owen with a scowl. “Did you really drug your sister and hand her over to a man?”

Owen flushed deep red. He wasn’t the type who lied well. Seeing him clammed up and speechless, Lily knew immediately that what Yunice had said was true. “You—” Lily was so furious she couldn’t even finish the sentence. She raised her hand and slapped Owen across the face.

It was the first time she had ever hit him. Owen froze, stunned, staring at her in disbelief. She really hit me, for Yunice.

Lily gritted her teeth, pointing at him, her voice shaking with rage. “And here I thought you were decent, kind! I never imagined you could stoop to something so disgusting. Do you have any idea how much a girl’s reputation means? You wouldn’t do this to a stranger—how could you do it to your own sister?”

“Mom,” Elsie cried out. She yanked the IV needle from her hand and threw herself in front of Owen, sobbing: “Owen must’ve had reasons! Yunice is his real sister—he’d never really hurt her!”

Lily snapped. “Then let him say it! What reason could justify doing something so vile?”

He said, “Because…because I couldn’t let Yunice marry Wyatt. You don’t know what that man’s really like! If she went through with it, she’d be miserable. And yeah, I drugged her—but I never meant to ruin her reputation. I made sure Morgan would be there. No matter how he feels about her, the Johnsons would’ve had to give Yunice an explanation with all the public pressure. Mom, didn’t you say you liked Morgan too? Isn’t he the one Yunice was meant to end up with?”

Hearing that, Lily’s eyes turned red again, her voice cracking with emotion. She hated what Owen had done, but she had no words to refute him. Because his intention had been good—he’d been thinking of the entire Saunders family. Wyatt might be great, but he was never on the same side as them. The Johnsons, on the other hand, were different.

Choking back tears, Lily said, “Sweetheart, what I’m upset about isn’t your decision—it’s that you were reckless with yourself.” Out of love for her son, Lily couldn’t help pulling Owen into her arms. She wept. “I’m just scared Yunice will use this against you. You gave her leverage, and if she really charges and sends you to prison… what am I supposed to do then?”

Owen blinked, startled. For a moment, it was like something finally clicked in his head. He’d really thought Lily was standing up for Yunice. But now, he realized the person Lily truly wanted to protect… was him. He couldn’t say what he was feeling. It wasn’t relief at being spared from blame. If anything, it left him with a deep, gnawing guilt.