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.

herself with her shaking arms to hold herself. Her tears started

as if all the tough facade she had shown

now. Everyone had left for

L

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

home when she arrived. She assumed that they went out for some groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But when it was

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

way they looked at her. However, she started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole

to avoid talking about them at

one of the neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed away and it had already been a month.

and Laura had hardly caught a cold in their lives, but this sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their age, it took their lives

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

the story, she didn't believe

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

had known, she would not agree

until she decided to return

her sitting on the bed, holding her

hard for her to accept that they had spent a

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

him, surprised, "Why are you still

but she couldn't keep her tears from

last night? No matter what happens,

with a blank

she should trust

sounded really tempting when he told her

took over

know what to do.

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

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

it, but she was happy when he was around.

wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but she knew that she cared about