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.

her shaking arms to hold herself. Her

felt as if all the tough facade she had shown him earlier had started

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

reason why Ellie went to L City was

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

to surprise them and didn't call. But when

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

However, she started to panic after she didn't

avoid talking about them at first. She tried to

told her that her grandparents had passed away and it had already been a month.

but this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their age, it took their lives very quickly. No one had expected

seemed to know how little 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. They also told them that if the sickness

story, she didn't believe

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

had known, she would not agree to let them leave.

until she

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

was so hard for her to accept that they had spent a night

places a breakfast

at him, surprised, "Why are

eyes were red and swollen, but she couldn't keep

last night? No matter what happens, I will be

looked at him with a blank expression.

didn't know if she should trust

when he told

took over

didn't know what

on her. She had stayed

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

she was

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