Isabella wiped her eyes furiously with her knuckles, as a child would, gasping desperately at her breath as it caught in her throat.

Over the line, she heard Phineas release a sympathetic sigh. He had listened to her woes, understandingly, for nearly an hour now.

After a few moments of no sound but Isabella's sobs, Phineas questioned gently, "What would you do if I came over for no other reason than to be with you?"

Isabella sniffed. "I'd be astonished," she replied weakly.

She heard a knock at the door.