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

tough facade she had shown

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

why Ellie went to L City was

to spend some time and have a few nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened. What was waiting for her was the news

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

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

started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole day. She went to the neighbors

at first. She tried to ask again.

her grandparents had

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

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

she didn't believe

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

known, she would not agree to let them

she mourned until she

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

was so hard for her to accept

something first." He places a breakfast platter on

surprised, "Why are

swollen, but

forget what I told you last

looked at him with

know if she should

he told her

took over

didn't know what to

marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on her. She had stayed away from men

the

but she was

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