Her smile held more sorrow than tears.

A phone was in her hand.

She said, “Here's your phone."

Then she swiftly passed him the phone and hurriedly departed as if she feared having second thoughts.

Mark grasped his phone, which remained on silent, its screen flashing incessantly.

Instead of immediately answering, he glanced towards the study's door, through which Cecilia had disappeared.

A lump formed in Mark's throat.

He then pressed the answer button and Laura's voice came through.

The young girl sounded a bit uneasy.

Mark lit a cigarette and held it delicately between his fingers. He asked softly, "It's late. Why aren't you asleep?"

Laura replied quietly, "I'm scared."

Mark felt a surge of sympathy for the child.

Cathy had given birth to Laura and entrusted her care to a babysitter.

Now, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment, a harsh situation for a child.

After offering some comforting words to Laura, Mark requested that she pass the phone to Paul's parents where he talked with them for a while.

Only then did Paul's parents learn that Laura was having trouble falling asleep at night.

They assured Mark that they would take good care of her.

As Laura bid Mark good night, a sense of sorrow weighed heavily on her. She had been deprived of a family's warmth since childhood and now couldn't often see Mark, who gave her comfort.

Mark hung up the phone, feeling a surge of mixed emotions.

But he knew that Cecilia felt even worse.