Elise needed an explanation, or rather, an answer. She picked up her phone, her fingertips pausing on the dial pad for a moment before finally pressing the call button.
"Beep... beep..." The sound of the unanswered call echoed continuously, each beep striking her heart. Elise's heart tightened, and her hand holding the phone trembled slightly. She dialed again, and suddenly, the call connected, but it wasn't Arthur's voice. A familiar female voice came through: "Hello?" It was Isabella. Elise froze instantly, all the unspoken questions and expectations in her heart turning into an indescribable bitterness at that moment. She said nothing, quietly listening to the voice on the other end of the line. After a moment, she hung up expressionlessly.
Arthur hadn't told her about his business tr
