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. Her

facade she had shown him earlier

Everyone had left

L City was to visit

with them. But none of

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 figured that something

really got an answer. All of them

the way they looked at her. 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 about her grandparents.

tried to avoid talking about them at first. She tried to ask

had passed away and it had already been a

but this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With

they had before they passed. They told the neighbors not to tell Ellie. They said that they might fight it

hearing the story, she didn't

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

she would not agree

she decided to return home.

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

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

He places a breakfast platter on the

him, surprised, "Why

swollen, but she couldn't keep her tears

closer to her, Francis sighed, "Did you forget what I told you last night? No

looked at him with a blank

if she should trust

sounded really tempting when he told her she would not be

took over

what to do.

a huge traumatic mark on

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

realized it, but she was happy when he was around.

wasn't sure about what she was feeling,