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.

with her shaking arms to

all the tough facade she had shown

left for real. She was really all

to L City was

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

one 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 getting dark,

All of them just looked

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

at first. She tried to

grandparents had passed away and it had already been

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

Ellie. They said that they might fight it through and they

she didn't believe

City. She didn't believe that any sickness

had known, she would not agree to

she decided to return

on the bed, holding her

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

let's eat something first." He places a breakfast platter on the table in front of

surprised, "Why are you

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

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

him with a blank

didn't know if she should trust him.

really tempting when he told her she would not

over

know what to

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

hate the idea of getting

realized it, but she was happy

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