At the moment, Ella was sound asleep upstairs. She opened her eyes slowly. Her beautiful, doe-like
eyes were puffy and red, slightly swollen, and had dark circles under them. It was clear she had cried
herself to sleep. However, this did not detract from her natural loveliness.
She picked up her cell phone, glanced at the clear blue sky outside her window, and dialed Colin's
number.
Although Anne had told her that dreams were usually far from reality, Ella needed to make sure what
she had just seen in her dream was not true.
Hearing each successive ring on the phone made Ella's little heart flutter with nerves that it was not
being answered. She felt scared and helpless.
One ring after the other, it was like a death march. Her heart, which had been beating gently having just
awakened from slumber, began to race, thudding against her chest as if it were trying to escape her
body. She could not hide the fear from her face and she eventually heard the cold, monotonous female
voice on the other end of the line.
"Sorry, the subscriber you have dialed is not available." No one answered.
What did this mean?
Since Ella was still young, Colin worried about her when he went away on his long business trips. He
gave her a private number to call, that was just for her, so that he was just a call away in case she ever
needed him. He never turned this phone off and was always available to Ella on this line.
But now...
The feeling of dread began to overcome her. She immediately jumped out of her bed and dialed
another number that her father used. The same result ensued. No answer.
"Mom, Mom..."
Anne was sitting on the sofa, worry apparent from her face, when she suddenly heard Ella calling out to
her. She trembled but did not turn around to face her.
Late last night, Ella was awakened by a terrible and vivid nightmare. She tried to comfort herself, telling
herself that nothing would happen to her father, but now...
This little girl actually had a tragic and miserable life. She lost her mother when she was so young and
now, look what had happened with her father...
"Mom, Dad promised me that he would never turn his phone off, no matter what hour of the day it is, so
that I can talk to him whenever I want. But today, he didn't answer the phone. Is something wrong?"
Ella stepped forward and grabbed onto Anne's clothes. Her eyes were red and swollen, filling quickly
with tears.
This child's sad eyes were like a dagger being thrust into Anne's heart.
Colin was missing. Yes, Ella had the right to know the truth about her father. But she was still a small
child. How would she be able to bear the harsh truth?
How could Anne face Ella; what could she possibly say in answer?
"Ella. It's fine - it's fine." Squatting down on her haunches, Anne held Ella close to her. Her soothing
voice was full of compassion and had a calming effect.
She really wanted to be honest with Ella but, when push came to shove, she could not bring herself to
tell her the truth of the situation.
"Then why isn't Dad answering his phone?" Unable to shake off her worry, Ella pressed Anne for an
answer.
"Just a second ago, your Uncle Kevin called to tell me that you dad had lost his phone accidentally on
a construction site visit where he was conducting a survey. He didn't ignore your calls on purpose." It
was a white lie. Ella was still very small so Anne did not have to come up with a complicated lie to
appease her.
Sure enough, Ella was comforted by the lie. She nodded and one could sense that a weight had been
lifted off her little shoulders.
"My father is my hero. He promised that he will be with me always after a few years pass with him
focusing on his business. He would never break a promise to me so I know it's the truth," Ella said,
more to herself than Anne.
"Yes, your father is just like a hero. I know he always keeps to his word and he will keep this up in
future. So don't fret over this any longer." Once again, Anne reached for Ella and gathered her in her
arms. Tears fell onto her arms from Ella's eyes, so she immediately wiped them away.
After all the trials and tribulations Anne had faced in her own life, she felt she was strong - really strong.
But seeing this poor little girl in front of her, she could not control her emotions.
Colin was missing. What if he was dead?
Anne knew no one in the Fu Family would object to adopting Ella but they were not her blood relatives.
How would Ella feel?
It was undeniable that there were certain things and people in this world that were simply irreplaceable.
When Eddy woke up, he took in the scene before him. He frowned when he saw the tears in his mom's
eyes. He immediately sensed something was wrong.
He knew his mother to be very strong. She did not cry easily so seeing her tears now came as quite the
shock. Something really untoward must have happened.
'What could it be?' Eddy wondered. He thought about the possibilities for a while before his face
darkened in suspicion. He wondered if something happened to Kevin while he was working away on
his trip.
At this troubling thought, Eddy rushed downstairs. He stopped in his tracks and didn't say a word when
he saw the state that Ella was in.
The atmosphere in the house over dinner was morose. Selma had always had a soft spot for Sally and
loved to dish food out for her. Today, she was so distracted that it was as if she had even forgotten
Sally existed.
Anne also looked depressed when they sat down for dinner. At her side, Ella's eyes were still red and
puffy from her frequent tears. She gingerly dished some food into her bowl. She truly looked upset.
All the kids were exceptionally intelligent, albeit so young, and could read a situation and the tension in
the atmosphere. They immediately put on their best behavior and eat quietly.
Several times, Eddy was on the brink of breaking the silence and asking questions. But he decided
eventually that it would be best to bite his tongue.
After dinner, Eddy followed Anne into her room.
"Mom, what happened with our family? Or has something happened to dad?" asked Eddy. Finally, he
had the opportunity to get to the point and ask Anne what he wanted to know. He looked up at her with
his large, innocent eyes.
Anne hadn't realized that Eddy had followed her into the room to question her. She slowly turned to
face him.
With a stiff, unnatural smile on her face, she wanted to shake her head to say everything was okay. But
she could not bring herself to do it.
Kim's return had really upset the balance they had finally obtained. She didn't know what psychotic
plans that man had up his sleeve. Now, her and her kids could not just leave this house at their
discretion and would have to be careful.
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