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.

wrapped herself with her shaking arms to hold herself. Her

the tough facade she had shown him earlier had

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

reason why Ellie went to L City

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

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

got an answer. All of them

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

at first. She tried

one of the neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed away

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

They told the 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

story, she didn't

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

would not agree

mourned until she

to Ellie's house and saw her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried between them and crying

bad. He wondered why it was so hard for

He places a breakfast platter on

looked up at him, surprised, "Why are

were red and swollen, but she couldn't keep

you forget what I told you last night? No matter

him with

if she should trust him.

really tempting when he told her she would

took over

what to do.

marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on her. She had stayed away from men for many

different. She didn't hate the idea of

realized it, but she was happy when he was

wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but