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.

her shaking arms to hold herself.

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

Everyone had left for real. She was really

L City was to visit

and have a few nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her was the news

one was home when she arrived. She assumed that they went out for some groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But when it was getting dark, and they were still not home, she

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

started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for

talking about them at first. She tried

her that her grandparents had passed away and it had

this sickness caught on them all of a sudden.

might fight it through and they didn't want to make her worry. They also

the story, she didn't

were fine during their last visit to J City. She

not agree to let

until she

her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried between them

wondered why it was so hard for her to accept that they had spent a night

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

up at him, surprised, "Why are you still

eyes were red and swollen, but she couldn't keep her tears from falling

"Did you forget what I told you last night? No

with

didn't know if she

tempting when he told her

over Ellie.

what to

huge traumatic mark on her.

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

was happy

what she was feeling, but she knew that