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.

herself with her shaking arms to hold herself. Her tears

facade she

herself now. Everyone had left for real.

why Ellie went to L City was to

with them. But none of that ever happened. What was

out for some groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But when it was getting dark, and they were still

All of them just looked at her with sad faces and

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

tried to avoid talking about them at

that her grandparents had passed away and it had already been a

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

neighbors not to tell Ellie. 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

story, she didn't believe

were fine during their last visit to J City. She didn't believe that any sickness could

known, she would not agree to let

days she mourned until she

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

for her to accept that they had spent a

places a breakfast platter on the table in front of

him, surprised, "Why are

and swollen, but she couldn't keep her tears from

what I told you last night? No matter what

with a

she should trust him.

it sounded really tempting when he told her she would

took over

didn't know what to do.

a huge traumatic mark on her. She had

Francis was different. She didn't hate the idea of getting

was happy when

sure about what she was feeling, but she knew that