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.

felt as if all the tough facade she had shown him earlier had

was all by herself now. Everyone had left for real. She was really

L City was to visit her

But none of that ever happened. What was waiting

groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But when it was getting dark, and they were still not home, she figured that something could be wrong.

an answer. All of them just looked at her with sad faces and tried to

However, she started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole day. She went to the neighbors and asked

them at

had

caught on them all of a sudden. With

They said that they might fight it through and they didn't want to make her worry. They also told them that if the sickness got worse,

the story, she

fine during their last visit to J City. She didn't

would not

she mourned until she

her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her

for her to accept that

eat something first." He places a breakfast platter on the table in

at him, surprised, "Why are you still

were red and swollen, but

you last night?

him with a blank expression.

know if she should trust him.

really tempting when he told her she would

over Ellie.

what

mark on her. She

didn't hate the

but she was happy when he was

sure about what she was feeling, but she knew that she cared