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. Her tears started falling.

all the tough facade she had shown him earlier

left for real. She was

why Ellie went to L

with them. But none of that ever happened. What was

arrived. She 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, she figured

them just looked at her with

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

about them at first. She tried

one of the neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed away

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

that they might fight

hearing the story, she didn't believe them.

to J City. She didn't believe that any sickness

she would not agree to let them leave.

days she mourned until she decided

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

so hard for her to accept that they

places a breakfast

up at him, surprised, "Why

swollen, but she couldn't

to her, Francis sighed, "Did you forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be

with a

know if she should

really tempting when he told her she would not be

took over

know what to

left a huge traumatic mark on her. She had

different. She didn't hate the idea of

just realized it, but she was happy when he

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