Faced with my daughter's inquiries, I could only try to reassure her. "Mommy will be back as soon as possible."

"You always say that, but you keep coming back later and later!" Ava's emotions instantly surfaced as she pouted. Her gaze lowered and she looked extremely upset.

"I’d never lie to you. It's just that some things don’t go as smoothly as we imagined, which delays my return home," I patiently explained.

She suddenly looked up, and I noticed that her eyes were glistening with tears. "But I don't want you to keep going on business trips, Mommy. I'll be lonely."

"How could you be lonely?" I was sympathetic, but amused by her statement. "Don't you have Jenny, Grandma, and Grandpa to keep you company? How could you be lonely?"

"But they're not you, Mommy. I want you, Mommy." Ava's tears finally fell, rolling down her cheeks.

I quickly reached out to embrace her, feeling a pang of guilt. I understood her loneliness.

"Alright, I understand. We'll try not to go on so many busine