The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 322
Yvonne bit her lip, her gaze growing steady. “Leilani, you’re right. What’s the point of crying here? My dad can’t see it, and even if he could, he wouldn’t care!”
“But don’t worry, I won’t give up! I will clear your name! Sooner or later, I’ll make sure Tamara faces the law!”
Leilani smiled faintly. “Okay. I believe you.”
The night breeze rustled the leaves around them. Yvonne leaned against Leilani’s shoulder and finally managed a small smile.
Not far away, Callahan stood quietly in the shadows of the trees, watching the scene with a soft expression. He didn’t step forward to disturb them, giving them enough space and quiet.
As the cool wind blew, Yvonne’s emotions calmed, but they were quickly replaced by a deep sense of embarrassment.
She had technically run away from home today. When she fled the hospital, she hadn’t brought a single thing with her. She was still wearing a hospital gown.
Realizing this, Yvonne’s eyes darted around nervously as she leaned on Leilani. She bit her lip awkwardly. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the nem of her gown as she tried to sound tough. “Leilani… it’s getting late. You should go back first. Don’t worry about me. I… I’ll find a place to rest n a bit.”
Yvonne didn’t want to trouble Leilani any further. She had already
embarrassed herself enough for one night and didn’t want to be a burden.
Leilani saw right through her. She sighed softly. “Where are you planning to go? Do you have money? ID?”
Yvonne was speechless. She had nothing. She was standing there in a
hospital gown, without a dime to her name, completely broke. She
couldn’t go back to the Sherwood estate, and she couldn’t check into a hotel.
Yvonne thought that, at worst, she would sleep on the street. She absolutely wasn’t going home.
Seeing her silence, Leilani took out her phone and dialed Callahan. “Hey, where are you?”
A deep male voice came through the line. “Right behind you.”
Leilani paused and looked back. Sure enough, Callahan was standing a short distance away, one hand in his pocket, looking calm. He had been guarding them the whole time, never leaving. The corners of her lips curved upward.
“Perfect. Take us home.”
Hearing the word “home,” Yvonne looked up sharply, waving her hands in a panic. “No, no! Leilani, I…”
‘It’s not safe for a young woman to be out here alone.” Leilani cut her off. Her tone left no room for argument. “You’re staying with me for now. You ran away from home because of me. If I let you sleep on the street and something happened to you, I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life. So, to save me the worry, just come home with me.”
Yvonne’s eyes heated up, and a lump formed in her throat. She opened ner mouth to thank her, but she didn’t know what to say. Any words felt pale and inadequate.
Finally, Yvonne just gave a low hum of agreement.
Callahan walked over, his gaze lingering on Yvonne for a second before shifting to Leilani. “Let’s go.”
Leilani nodded and reached out to pull Yvonne up. “Can you walk?”
Yvonne managed to stand, but her legs were still shaky.
Seeing this, Callahan turned around and spoke calmly, “I’ll have the driver
bring the car around. Take your time.”
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