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.

the tough facade she had shown him

left for real.

why Ellie went to L City was to visit her grandparents.

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

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,

an answer. All of them just looked at

after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole

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

neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed

this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their age, it took their lives

they might fight it through

hearing the story, she

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

known, she would not agree to let them leave.

mourned until she decided to

Ellie's house and saw her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried

really bad. He wondered why it was so hard for her to accept that they had spent

places a breakfast platter on the

surprised, "Why are you

but

you last night? No matter what happens, I will

with a blank expression.

if she should

he told her she would not be

took over Ellie.

know what to do.

marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on

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

just realized it, but she was happy when he

she couldn't see him, she felt lost. She wasn't sure about what she