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

facade she had shown

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

went to L

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

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

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

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

to avoid talking about them at first. She tried to ask again.

one of the neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed away and it

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 very quickly. No one had expected its

that they might fight it through and they didn't want to

the story, she

visit to J City. She didn't believe that any sickness could just

she would not agree to let them leave.

she

her sitting on the bed, holding her knees,

for her to accept that they had spent

let's eat something first." He places a breakfast platter on the

looked up at him, surprised, "Why

swollen, but she couldn't keep

forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with you. You are

him with

didn't know if she should

really tempting when he told her she would not

took over Ellie.

what to

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

hate the idea of getting close

just realized it, but she was happy

what she