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

tough facade she had shown him earlier had started crumbling.

now. Everyone had left for real. She was really all alone.

Ellie went to L City

have a few nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened.

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

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

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

at

had passed away and it had already

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 one had expected

time they had before they passed. 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.

story, she

were fine during their last visit to J City. She didn't believe that any sickness could just take their lives.

would not agree to let

until she decided to return home.

and saw her sitting on the bed, holding her

it was so hard for her to accept that they had

places a breakfast platter on the table in front of her.

him, surprised, "Why

Her eyes were red and swollen, but she couldn't keep her tears from falling down.

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

him with a blank

didn't know if she should trust him.

told her she would not

over

didn't know what to

mark on her. She had stayed away from men for many

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

realized it, but she was happy

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