Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
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.
, in the Snow
After being rejected by yet another hotel, Yunice kept walking, hoping to stumble upon a 24-hour place where she could rest for the night.
She wouldn’t go to Paul-he’d try something.
She couldn’t turn to Margaret either-Margaret had just divorced Jensen and was overseas at the time.
She racked her brain but couldn’t think of a single person who could help her.
Then, behind her, a pair of headlights lit up the snowy street-illuminating her entire back.
She turned and squinted, the brightness forcing her eyes nearly shut.
When she made out the license plate-perfectly sequential numbers-her heart jumped.
In Silverburgh, only socialites drove cars with plates like that.
And after what had happened on the ship with those socialites, Yunice instinctively turned and ran, terrified she’d fall into their hands again.
But the snow made the roads slippery. She lost her footing and tumbled into a deep roadside ditch. Snow poured into her collar and pant legs, instantly sending chills through her body.
Scrambling to her feet, she looked up at the road above. The car had stopped. Its headlights illuminated a long stretch of icy pavement.
The car door opened. A man leaned over, holding an umbrella, and called down, “Miss, are you okay?”
His voice was filled with concern. An older man.
He rummaged through the car and turned on a flashlight, shining it down toward her. Yunice shielded her eyes with her arm.
The man glanced at the steepness of the ditch. “That’s a deep one-and with all this snow, you’re not gonna climb out on your own.”
Then he pulled a climbing rope from his trunk and tossed it down. “Grab the rope, young lady: I’ll pull you up.”
Yunice didn’t move. She didn’t trust him. Those socialites were good at playing tricks. How could she be sure this man didn’t have others in the car waiting to trap her?
“If you don’t come up, you’re going to freeze down there,” he said gently. “Tell you what…”
He tossed his cellphone down to her. “Use it to call the police. At least that way you’ll know I’m not trying anything shady, right?”
Yunice immediately picked up the phone and dialed Owen’s number.
It rang. And rang. And rang-until it disconnected. No one answered.
The last sliver of hope in her eyes disappeared. She accepted reality and called the police.
After that, she finally grabbed the rope and let the man pull her up.
As soon as she reached the top, he draped a suit jacket over her shoulders. It was still warm. Ice-cold and wary, Yunice shrank away from him, eyes filled with suspicion.
The man patiently told her to stay on the call with the emergency line. That way, she could ask for help at any time if she felt unsafe.
That night, forgotten by her own family, Yunice didn’t freeze to death. A stranger saved her.
Even now, thinking back on it, she still felt deeply moved. She looked up slightly and said, “Yeah. A man helped me that night. He even gave me his jacket. I never got the chance to return it…”
Wyatt looked at her with a tenderness that reached deep into his chest. “What kind of man?”
She thought for a moment. “His hair was a bit gray, combed into a neat side part. He stood tall, straight-backed. And his smile-it was so kind. When he spoke, he reminded me of my dad. Calm, steady, like nothing could shake him. Always optimistic.”
She continued, “After dropping me off at a hotel, he gave me his phone. Said when I got scared, I could go online to distract myself. I asked if I could return it, and he gave me a number. But when I called the next day, it was disconnected.”
She turned her head to look at Wyatt. A faint smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve always been grateful to him. When the world abandoned me, he didn’t.”
She set down her fork and left the dining room for her room.
Wyatt remained in his chair, staring at the spot where she had just been. He didn’t move for a long time.
In the bathroom, Yunice rinsed her eyes with cold water before beginning her nightly routine.
When someone lives too long in the shadows, even the smallest ray of light can feel blinding.
Years had passed, and Yunice had learned to depend only on herself. Sleeping alone scared her, made her feel lonely, but she still preferred it.
In a world of one, there was no betrayal.
The next morning, Wyatt knocked on Elianna’s door.
She opened it slowly, wearing a frog-eyed sleep headband. Her face was puffy and swollen. She mumbled, “Wyatt, what’s going on…”
“I’m giving you a ride to work,” Wyatt said.
Elianna grumbled, “Wyatt, you must still be dreaming. When have I ever had a job?”
“You said you were applying at a design firm.”
Head still against the doorframe, she mumbled, “Just go to work, Wyatt. I promise not to bully Yurare. You think I could outsmart her even if I wanted to?”
Elianna scratched her head in frustration. “Ughhh, I was up all night gaming until 7 am. I’ve only slept two hours. Wyatt, come on, be nice-let me sleep. I swear I won’t even come downstairs. I definitely won’t pick a fight with her.”
She slumped forward, nearly falling asleep with her forehead against the doorframe.
“Wyatt,” Yunice called from downstairs, “stop bothering her.”