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 hold

as if all the tough facade she had shown

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

to L City

nice meals with them. But none of that ever happened.

wanted to surprise them and didn't call. But when it was getting dark, and they were still not home, she figured that

answer. All of them just looked at her with sad faces and tried to avoid

the beginning, she didn't care about the way they looked at her. However, she started to panic after she didn't hear anything about her grandparents for the whole day. She went to the neighbors and asked them about

to avoid talking about them at first.

that her grandparents had passed away and it

of a sudden.

Ellie. They said that they might fight it through and they didn't want to make her worry. They

the story, she didn't

J City. She didn't believe that any

not agree to let them leave.

days she mourned until she decided to

Ellie's house and saw her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her head buried

wondered why it was so hard for her to

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

at him, surprised, "Why are

and swollen, but she couldn't keep

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

with

she should trust him.

tempting when he told

over

know what to

parents' failed marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on her. She

didn't hate the

it, but she was happy when he was around.

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