Chapter 86: Not Your Sister

Yunice was small and thin. Owen’s kick landed squarely in her stomach, sending her flying backward like a ragdoll. It happened so fast that no one reacted in time. Both Luke and Paul froze, breath caught in their throats. Lily, still stunned from her own fall, was helped up by Elsie. All the strength had drained from her body. Only now did she seem to realize she’d just tried to strangle Yunice to death. Her face turned pale. Even if she hated Yunice, she was still her mother. Doing that in front of everyone—what had she been thinking?

But the second she stood up, she saw Yunice curled on the floor, her body trembling in pain. Owen’s anger hadn’t subsided. He was about to lunge forward again. Lily panicked. Ignoring her own aching leg, she rushed over and threw her arms around him. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. “Owen, listen to me. Let’s stop fighting. You’re both my dearest kids. It hurts me to see either of you get hurt.”

Owen’s eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched so tightly the bones stood out beneath his skin. If Lily hadn’t stopped him, he really might have charged at Yunice again. Elsie ran up in tears, pointing at Yunice. “Yunice, I can’t defend you this time. Owen is always such a gentle person. Look what you’ve turned him into. If he hadn’t stood up for you, he wouldn’t be in this legal mess. This time, it really is your fault!”

Yunice stayed on the floor for a long while, unable to get up. Her throat tasted faintly of blood, and every breath sent sharp pain through her abdomen. The edges of her vision pulsed dark. But she could still hear them. One accusation after another. No one offered her a hand. No one asked if she was in pain. It was like all the years she’d spent giving her heart to them meant absolutely nothing.

Paul seemed to waver for a moment. His brow furrowed. He did think Yunice had made mistakes—but he also couldn’t stand the sight of her being beaten like that. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Elsie’s voice rang out again. “And don’t forget—you’ve always had a thing for Wyatt. You even helped him bully Paul. Don’t act like you don’t want to marry him. You’re just doing this to get back at Owen. You want him in jail!”

With a single sentence, Elsie hit two targets at once. Paul and Owen both froze. That’s right. Yunice had shown favor toward Wyatt. She’d helped him. Even stood on his side. Paul remembered her letting him suffer in silence, refusing to give him pain meds. He remembered her calmly saying Wyatt was better than him in every way.

She didn’t hate the match; she just wanted to disgust them. She wanted Owen behind bars. Owen didn’t feel guilty anymore. If Yunice wanted to see him in prison, then he was going to make sure she didn’t get what she wanted. He stepped toward her and demanded, “So are you marrying him or not?”

The pain in her body made it hard to move, but Yunice managed to sit up. Her arms trembled as she propped herself off the floor. She looked up at all the people pressuring her. At Owen, who glared like he was ready to kill her. But she didn’t see Wyatt—who had just stepped through the Saunders family’s front door. Her eyes swept across every angry, self-righteous face in the room. And something in her snapped.

“I’m not marrying him,” she growled. “I don’t care how much it hurts. I’d rather die than marry him. You can beat me to death if you want—but after today, we’re done. You’re not my brother, and I’m not your sister.”

Owen was stunned. “You think I’m forcing you into this? If you hadn’t gone chasing after Wyatt and stuck up for him in front of Mr. Jackson, none of this would’ve happened!” He kept going. “Because you couldn’t stay in your lane, I’m in trouble. Elsie’s engagement fell through. You don’t see us complaining. What gives you the right to act like the victim?”

Yunice’s voice dripped with scorn. “So all of you helping the devil is fine, but me helping Wyatt is wrong?” Just because they took a different side, that made her disobedient? Yes, she had helped Wyatt—but that didn’t mean she loved him. And it sure as hell didn’t mean she had to marry him. Marriage wasn’t what made a life whole. A woman didn’t need to get married just to prove her worth. Whether or not she had feelings for Wyatt had nothing to do with whether she was willing to marry him.

She’d stayed in the Saunders house because she had no legal identity. Without documents, she couldn’t go anywhere. She wanted her name back. She wanted out of this family. She didn’t want to be dragged into the Powell family’s chaos—didn’t want to waste her life caught between Wyatt and Mr. Jackson’s games. Lily didn’t want her son in prison. She didn’t want to make enemies with the Powells either. And now, she finally saw the truth that this whole mess started with Yunice. And the one who tied the knot had to be the one to untie it. If they really beat Yunice to death, who would marry Wyatt then?

Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, “Yunny, we’re not trying to hurt you. But Mr. Jackson isn’t someone we can afford to cross. Even if we let you go, do you think he will?”

Chapter 87: Forced to Choose