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.

tough facade she had shown him earlier had

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

Ellie went to L City was to visit her

going to spend some time and have a few nice meals with them. But none

out for some groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But

never really got an answer. All of them just looked at her with

her. However, she started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole day. She went to the neighbors

about them at

the neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed away and it had already been a

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

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

hearing the story, she

She didn't believe

she had known, she would not agree to

mourned until she

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

hard for her

a breakfast platter on the table in front

up at him, surprised, "Why

looked miserable. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she couldn't

forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with you. You are

looked at him with a blank

didn't know if she should trust

it sounded really tempting when he told her

over

didn't know what to do.

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

Francis was different. She didn't hate the idea of getting

she was happy when he was

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