Chapter 538 Shelter in the Rain

Afraid Wyatt wouldn’t believe her, Elianna mumbled, “The Powell family’s been fighting nonstop. Every time I go over there, they’re always talking sarcastically to me.”

She added, “So I thought I’d stay with Madam Mary, but lately she’s been giving me the cold shoulder too… I didn’t feel right staying there any longer.”

Since Wyatt married Yunice and distanced himself from Nora, both Mary and Morgan were naturally upset.

Wyatt wouldn’t visit them, and Elianna kept hanging around. They took their frustration out on her.

But Elianna was still immature when it came to social cues—like a child playing grown-up.

Wyatt said, “Don’t you have your own place? You can’t keep living in other people’s homes. Everyone gets annoyed eventually.”

He shouldn’t have said it.

Elianna’s eyes turned red immediately. “Yeah, I have a place. But I’m all alone there…”

She pouted and threw a sideways glance at Yunice. “You get to sleep warm and cozy next to someone, but I’m supposed to be okay sleeping alone in a cold, empty house? You think I don’t get lonely or scared?”

Yunice and Wyatt were both speechless.

Tears welled up in Elianna’s eyes. “Wyatt, my dad’s gone. My mom’s gone too. They never gave me a sibling. You’re the only person who even feels a little like family. People say home is a safe harbor—but I’ve got the storm and no port. All I can do is get drenched out there…”

Her voice broke as she cried, face buried in her hands.

Wyatt set down his spoon, annoyed, ready to shut her down—only to feel a sharp jab in the ribs.

He hissed and turned to Yunice.

Yunice casually held her fork and whispered, “Comfort her.”

Wyatt turned to Elianna. “You’re an adult. It’s not appropriate for you to keep living here—”

Before he could finish, Yunice stood up and pushed the plate of grilled ribs toward Elianna. “Don’t cry. You’re staying here tonight. No one’s kicking you out.”

Elianna froze. Wyatt turned to glare at Yunice.

Was she seriously contradicting him in front of company?

Yunice ignored the warning in his eyes and pushed the plate of grilled ribs toward him next. “Try some.” Elianna’s gaze bounced between them, suspicious. She caught the silent battle in their eyes—three seconds of silent struggle before Wyatt let out a cold snort and ignored the ribs altogether, taking two sips of the tomato beef soup instead.

Now Elianna was even more skeptical. Even with her lack of social awareness, she could tell Yunice’s distraction tactic was painfully clumsy.

What shocked her more was that Yunice dared to speak for Wyatt—and Wyatt actually let her.

Catching Elianna’s stunned look, Wyatt frowned. “Why didn’t you eat the grilled rib?”

Elianna pouted again. “I’m too upset to eat… hic!”

She hiccupped mid-sentence.

Her face flushed as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Yunice chuckled. “I’ll have the maid make you some ginger tea. It’ll help with digestion.”

Elianna’s head dropped even lower into her arms, humiliated.

Before dinner even ended, she bolted to claim a guest room—just in case they changed their minds and threw her out.

In the dining room, Wyatt let his spoon drop, turned sideways in his chair, and gave Yunice a look like she had some serious explaining to do.

“Why’d you let her stay? Weren’t you the one who said I should keep my distance from other women?” he asked, clearly annoyed.

Yunice kept eating, unbothered. “I’m not as petty as you are. Elianna’s just a kid starved for affection. If you kick her out, she’ll blame me for stealing you. When my dad passed, I leaned on my brother like a lifeline. So I understand what it feels like when love gets taken away. Honestly, if you can keep yourself in check, what’s the point of worrying about how someone else feels?”

Yunice rarely talked about her family. Wyatt watched her for a long time, his eyes fixed on her lowered lashes.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, “When your love was taken away, did anyone take you in? Were you ever scared, sleeping alone?”

A wave of heat rushed up Yunice’s nose. Some old hurts, when buried for long enough, started to feel like they’d been forgotten.

But the moment someone brought them up, the ache always hit before the memory did.

There was a time—more than once—when Yunice had been shut out.

She remembered the second year Elsie came to the Saunders family. Owen had thrown a party for her classmates at home.

No one had told Yunice about it. No one told her the house code had been changed—because Elsie wanted to make it easier for the invited guests to come and go.

Yunice hadn’t been able to get inside. No one answered her calls. And then, to top it off, a guy on a motorbike snatched her phone and wallet.

She had stood outside the Saunders residence, freezing to the bone.

She wandered for hours looking for a place to stay. But every hotel turned her away—no ID, no advance payment, no exceptions.