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

felt as if all the tough facade she had shown him earlier had

by herself now. Everyone had left for real. She was

Ellie went to L City was to

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

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

All of them just looked at her with sad faces and

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

at first. She tried to ask again.

grandparents had passed away and

sickness caught on them all of a sudden.

neighbors 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

she didn't believe

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

had known, she would not agree to let them leave.

mourned until she decided

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

hard for her to accept that they

places a breakfast platter on the table

him, surprised, "Why

swollen, but she couldn't

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

him with

if she should

really tempting when he told her she would

over

didn't know what to do.

traumatic mark on her. She had stayed away

the idea of

she was

about what she was feeling, but she