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.

shaking arms to hold herself. Her tears started

as if all the tough facade she had shown him earlier

all by herself now. Everyone had left for real.

L

going to spend some time and have a few nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her was the

them and didn't call. But when it was getting dark, and they were still

neighbors but never really got an answer. All of them just

they looked at her. However, she started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her

tried to avoid talking about them at first.

grandparents had passed away and it

had hardly caught a cold in their lives, but this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their

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

hearing the story, she

City. She didn't

known, she would not agree to let

mourned until she

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

wondered why it was so hard for her to accept that

first." He places a breakfast platter on the table

surprised,

red and swollen, but she

sighed, "Did you forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with you.

at him with

didn't know if she

told her

over Ellie.

what to

parents' failed marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on her.

hate the idea of getting close

just realized it, but she was happy when he

She wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but she knew that she cared about