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.

arms to hold

facade she had shown him earlier

herself now. Everyone had left for real. She

L City was to visit

nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her was the news she never expected.

surprise them and didn't call. But when

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

didn't care about the way they looked at her. However, she started to panic after she didn't hear

them at first. She tried to

her grandparents had passed away and it

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

passed. They told the neighbors not to tell Ellie. They said that they might fight it through

hearing the story, she didn't believe them.

last visit to J City. She didn't believe that

known, she would not agree to let them leave.

she mourned until she decided to

the bed, holding her knees, her head buried between them and crying out

so hard for her to accept that they

something first." He places a breakfast platter on the table in front

up at him, surprised, "Why

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

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

at him with a blank expression.

know if she should trust him.

when he told

took over

didn't know what

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

different. She didn't hate the idea of getting

but she was happy when he was around.

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