Chapter 268: Nightmares
Although Wyatt never brought up Paul again, it didn't mean the seed of suspicion wasn't quietly planted in his heart. That was precisely why Yunice wanted him to see her: there wasn't a single mark on her body.
By the time Wyatt finished washing up, Yunice was already in bed, dressed in her pajamas. The room was dark; only the soft rustle of fabric as the mattress sank slightly beside her. A corner of the blanket lifted, and Wyatt lay down behind her.
Nothing happened. He did not touch her. Whether it was discomfort or simply exhaustion, he remained distant. Yunice waited a while, tense and uncertain, before she finally drifted off to sleep.
In her dreams, voices exploded like fireworks in her mind, one after another, each one more piercing than the last.
“Proof like that? I could write you ten thousand of those. You think it’d matter?”
“You cried? What’s so embarrassing? Just shout it out; your little hole wants a bird. No one here’s judging, hahahaha…”
“Still hitting people? I see… You’re just mad you’re losing.”
“Officer, my sister’s situation… Please keep it private. She’s still young…”
“Small girl, petty mind. She’s dragged the Powell family name through the mud.”
“Go ahead, sue us. Let’s see who’s got more evidence.”
“Learning to restore your hymen at such a young age. What was it? Family business? Don’t tell me your brother did the surgery himself.”
“Why care what they say? You’re my fiancée. Sleeping with you is my right. Why the tears?”
“Could you just stop causing drama? Why did you even go to a hospital for that test? Now people are laughing at me. They say I’m inadequate, say you’re so deep I can’t reach the bottom. Have you no shame?”
“Nooo, I don’t want to go to school anymore. They say my sister has a disease, so I must have one too.”
“Elsie, sweetie, keep your clothes and things separate from your sister’s. Her crowd’s messy; don’t get involved.”
“Yunice! Who told you to wear Elsie’s clothes? From now on, don’t touch anything in this house!”
“Yunny, move into the school dorm…”
“Teacher, we don’t want to share a room with her?”
“Take your little certificates and go kneel in front of your dad’s grave. Think about what you’ve done!”
Documents rained from the sky above Yunice’s head. Proofs, reports, all of them meaninglessly overwhelming. Like a web of shame and judgment, tightening around her throat, smothering her.
In the dim light of the bedroom, Yunice’s body trembled. Her neck twitched violently, and then she growled in her sleep, her voice cold and sharp, “I’ll kill you! Kill all of you!”
Wyatt turned, switching on the lamp. Yunice’s eyes remained shut, her brows deeply furrowed, her body tense with suppressed rage.
Wyatt asked, “Kill who?” His voice rang out like a bell cutting through the chaos of a crowded street.
Yunice jolted awake. The fierceness in her eyes dissolved in an instant. She blinked innocently, turning her head to look at him. “Did I talk in my sleep?”
Letting out a breath, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. “Just a nightmare. Scared me to death.”
She glanced toward the window. Soft light began to seep through the edges of the curtain. Dawn was breaking.
No longer sleepy, Yunice sat up. “You go ahead and sleep. I’ll read for a bit.”
The college entrance exam was only two months away. She needed every moment.
Wyatt reminded her, “The team’s moving into the project today. We’re doing a site visit. Northvale’s still rubble. It’ll take a lot of walking to get through it.”
“I know,” Yunice said.
She went to the study. Wyatt sat up too, one hand behind his head, the other fiddling with his phone, brows furrowed. He didn’t go back to sleep either.
At 10:00 am sharp, everyone participating in the project gathered at the Northvale construction site. Yunice wore a safety helmet and followed Victor as they walked through the grounds, mapping out plans.
Chapter 268: Nightmares: Finished
After a full morning of work, the canteen began distributing boxed lunches. Gill even made a special trip to bring Yunice some freshly made dishes.
Though she had a head injury, it was only superficial. She had not stayed in the hospital as she could not bear to leave her food stall. Business had been booming lately, with loyal customers begging her to set up shop more often.
“Good thing I’m near the site. I can bring you food whenever,” she said, then glanced around and lowered her voice. “Where’s Mr. Cooper?”
“He’s in the meeting room,” Yunice replied.
Gill frowned. “You’re his wife. Why are you the one out here doing site surveys? And he’s in a cushy room with air-conditioning, feeling all comfortable?”
Yunice chuckled. “It’s not that bad. It’s only May. The weather’s nice. Besides, I need to start from the ground up if I want to learn anything. If I went straight into a meeting room, I wouldn’t understand a thing.”