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.

to hold herself. Her tears

all the tough facade she had shown him earlier had started crumbling.

left for real. She

why Ellie went to L City was to visit her grandparents.

some time and have a few nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What

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

really got an answer. All of them just looked at her with sad

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

tried to avoid talking about them at first. She tried

that her grandparents had passed away and it had already

in their lives, but this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their age, it took their lives very quickly. No one had

passed. They told the neighbors not to tell Ellie. They said that they might fight it through and they didn't want to make

story, she

to J City. She didn't believe that any sickness

had known, she would not agree

she decided to

Francis had returned to Ellie's house and saw her sitting on the bed, holding

so hard for her to accept that they had

something first." He places a breakfast

at him, surprised, "Why

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

forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with you. You are not

at him with a

she

it sounded really tempting when he told her

took over

didn't know what

a huge traumatic mark on her. She had stayed away from men

was different. She didn't hate the idea

but she was happy when

sure about what she was feeling, but she knew