As she did, she patted Olivia's back, and her eyes softened with tenderness.

After a pause, Mark asked, “Is she usually obedient?"

"Yes," Cecilia answered succinctly.

Then, after thinking for a while, she asked, “Why are you calling?"

In an instant, the atmosphere between them became awkward.

Mark kept quiet for a while and then said, “What? You don't want me asking about the children?"

Cecilia pursed her lips and didn't make a sound.

The sounds of their breaths mingled with each other on both ends of the phone.

Mark was the first to break the silence as he said in a low, manly voice, “You and him... How are the two of you getting along?"

The question took Cecilia by surprise. After a short silence, she said softly, "Not bad."

As soon as she said that, she hung up the phone, not waiting for Mark's response.

But when Cecilia lay on the bed, her eyes were wide open. Sleep was now completely eluding her.

Her mind was filled with memories of her past with Mark. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about it.

The same could be said about Mark.

When the call ended, his longing for her intensified even more.

But what could he do? Cecilia seemed to hate him to the core. Even if she vented her anger, she would probably never forgive him. Even if she did, she would be too proud to start over with him.

Thus, all he could do was be patient and continue waiting for her.

With this thought, Mark gently closed his eyes.

In the next few days, he didn't show his face in front of Cecilia.

He even stopped going to the Fowler residence every day. He would just call Edwin every day and listened to Olivia's voice whenever he had the chance.