A Love Trap

"Ellie! Stop... talking... like that!" he spluttered.

Francis might have been with a lot of women, but he took nobody seriously. Those women knew it and they didn't mind.

But Ellie was different. He never thought of treating her badly.

He could not fathom why she had to hurt herself like that.

He was really upset. Not because of what she thought about him, but because of how she saw herself.

The worst part of it was that she called him "Mr. Francis." The fact that she called him "Mr. Francis"

hurt him the most.

Ellie closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She didn't say anything.

Francis grabbed both her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Ellie, please tell me you're joking." He looked at her, his eyes firm with pleading and frustration. "Please tell me you didn't mean any of what you just said."

Francis' eyes spoke sincerely to Ellie.

She couldn't take another look at him. She needed strength to say what she was about to say, "No, I meant everything I said."

Francis could see right through her lie. He shouted, "Look me in the eye and tell me again! You didn't mean any of that, right?"

Ellie looked into his eyes, her visage as fierce as the crunching in her chest. "I meant it. I meant every bit of it. You may leave Mr. Francis."

Ellie pointed to the door gesturing for Francis to leave.

"Fine!" Francis clenched his jaw and gnashed his teeth in anger.

He let go of her and turned around to leave.

The thud that came from the shutting door made Ellie flinch. As the door closed, the room fell into silence.

Ellie could only look at the direction where he had gone.

arms to hold herself.

facade she had shown him earlier

left for real. She was really all alone.

why Ellie went to L City was to

nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her was the news she

them and didn't call. But when it was getting dark, and they were

never really got an answer. All of them just looked at her with sad faces and tried to avoid her.

her. However, she started to panic after she didn't hear anything

about them at first. She

one of the neighbors told her that her grandparents had

this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their age, it took their

seemed to know how little time they had before they passed. They told the neighbors not to tell Ellie. They said that they might fight it

she didn't

their last visit to J City. She didn't believe

known, she would not agree to let them

mourned until she decided to return

on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried between them and crying out loud.

felt really bad. He wondered why it was so hard for her to accept that they had spent

places a breakfast platter on

at him, surprised,

miserable. Her eyes were red and swollen, but

"Did you forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with you.

him with

if she should trust

really tempting when he told her she would not

took over Ellie.

what

a huge traumatic mark on her. She had stayed away

was different. She didn't hate the idea of getting close to him.

just realized it, but she was happy

couldn't see him, she felt lost. She wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but she knew