Chapter 303: Too Late for Regret
A few people hadn't yet left the hotel when they saw Yuna's posts on her social media feed. Curiosity got the better of them, and they decided to return to the banquet hall to check it out. But they never made it past the elevators—security was stationed at the entrance and politely turned them away. The explanation given was that the banquet hall had been fully booked, and no one was allowed in.
That sealed the deal. Those people no longer believed it was Yunice's birthday party at all. Someone even posted claiming the hotel had kicked Yunice out so the venue could be used by a VIP. The comments under that post were full of gloating and mockery, claiming Yunice was overreaching—completely unaware of her own worth.
Naturally, Owen saw these comments while sitting in the hospital. When he stared at the screen, his face burned with shame. Stepping out of Elsie's hospital room, he immediately called Oscar.
Oscar answered, and Owen erupted. “Oscar, what the hell are you doing? Wasn't the banquet hall I set up good enough? Why would you fake photos to show off? Do you know everyone's laughing at Yunice right now!”
Oscar waited until he'd finished before letting out a cold laugh. “Owen, aren't you supposed to be busy taking care of your sister? Why do you care how my sister celebrates her birthday?”
Owen choked on the reply, then softened his tone. “Life comes first, okay? You can't expect me to just leave Elsie like that.”
Oscar’s voice turned steely. “You know damn well how many times Elsie’s fainted at Yunice’s birthday parties. I don’t need to spell it out. You want to play dumb, fine—but don’t you dare use this to play the victim and guilt Yunice.”
Owen heard voices in the background over the phone and frowned. “Wait, didn’t the hotel kick you out? Why are you still…”
Oscar scoffed. “Don’t judge people based on your own shallow standards. Did you really think Yunice had no one left to love her?”
Owen went blank for a second, then caught on. “The one who booked the hall—is it Wyatt?”
So Yuna hadn’t faked anything. The banquet hall really looked exactly like those photos!
Oscar’s response was sharp and cold. “Listen to me, Owen. Yunice wasn’t abandoned by you. From now on, she’s the one who doesn’t want you.”
With that, Oscar hung up.
Owen stood frozen, staring at his phone, unable to snap out of it.
He hadn’t abandoned Yunice.
The banquet hall he had arranged might not have been as luxurious as Wyatt’s, but he had poured his heart into it, planning every detail. Yunice’s survival was the one thing he was most grateful for. He had genuinely tried to win her back… So why does everything always go so wrong?
From the hospital room, Lily stepped out and said, “Owen, Elsie’s awake.”
Still reeling from Oscar’s words, Owen was full of frustration—but he didn’t even know who he was mad at anymore. Then he saw Lily and was suddenly reminded of the dress she’d picked for Yunice. The resentment spilled over.
“Mom, did you do it on purpose? When was buying a flower vase more important than getting Yunice a dress? Yunice and Elsie might be sisters, but how come Yunice always ends up in ill-fitting clothes, and Elsie never once had to wear Yunice’s hand-me-downs?”
His voice turned colder. “Mom, have you been taking the money I gave Yunice and spending it on Elsie instead? You’ve never once bought Yunice anything new, only made her wear whatever Elsie didn’t want—have you?”
Lily was dumbfounded, fumbling for excuses. “That was because Yunice wasn’t… clean. We were afraid she’d pass something on to Elsie, so we all agreed not to let Elsie wear her clothes. You were the one who said we should burn her old things until her illness cleared up, and then we’d buy her new ones. That’s how it’s always been. Besides, Yunice never even told me if she got better or not…”
Owen’s face went pale. He’d forgotten he’d actually said something like that. Years ago, they had found a gynecological diagnosis slip in Yunice’s backpack. It had happened right around the time scandalous rumors about her and Paul were at their peak. Everyone had jumped to the same conclusion—that Yunice had been promiscuous and brought it on herself. Owen had been furious and had said those things. He just never imagined Yunice had lived all these years under that kind of judgment.
He felt a growing discomfort—wanted to blame someone—but in the end, he could only blame himself. Lily reminded him again that Elsie had woken up.
Chapter 303: Too Late for Regret
How many times had Elsie fainted during important moments?
She fainted during Yunice’s SAT exams, on her birthdays, even after Yunice’s car accident. The only time she didn’t faint… was the three years Yunice spent in the asylum.