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.

arms to hold herself.

tough facade she had shown him earlier had started crumbling.

now. Everyone had left for real. She was really

L

meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her was the news she

was home when she arrived. She assumed that they went out for some groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But

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

beginning, she didn't care about 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

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

the neighbors told her that her grandparents had

on them all of a

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

she didn't

last visit to J City. She

had known, she would not agree

she mourned until she decided to return

saw her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried

so hard for her to accept that they

He places a breakfast platter on the table in

looked up at him, surprised, "Why

looked miserable. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she

told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with

at him with a

if she should trust

really tempting when he told her

over

know what

left a huge traumatic mark on her. She had stayed

hate the idea of

was happy when he was

she couldn't see him, she felt lost. She wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but she knew that she cared