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.

to hold herself.

the tough facade she had shown

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

went to L City was to visit

with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her

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

asked the neighbors but never really got an answer. All of them just looked at her with sad faces and tried to avoid her.

didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole day. She went to

them at first. She tried to ask again.

the neighbors told her that her grandparents had

in their lives, but this sickness caught on them all of

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 got worse, they would tell Ellie themselves.

she didn't believe them.

during their last visit to J City. She

would not agree to let them

she

sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried between them and

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

breakfast platter on the table in

looked up at him, surprised,

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

forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will

at him with a blank

she

sounded really tempting when he told her she would not be

over Ellie.

didn't know what to

marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on her. She

hate the

but she was happy when he was around.

she felt lost. She wasn't sure about what she was