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 hold herself. Her tears started falling.

the tough facade she had shown him earlier had

had left for real. She was really

Ellie went to L City was to

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

they went out for some groceries. She wanted to surprise them and didn't

never really got an answer. All of them just looked at her with

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

avoid talking about them at first.

her grandparents had passed away and it had already been

sickness caught on them all of a sudden. With their age,

fight it through and they didn't want to make her worry. They also told them that if the sickness got worse,

story, she

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

not agree to let them leave.

she mourned until she

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

wondered why it was so hard for her to accept that they had spent a night together.

He places a breakfast platter on the

up at him, surprised, "Why

Her eyes were red and swollen, but she couldn't keep her tears from falling down.

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

at him with a

know if she should trust him.

tempting when he told her she would not be alone.

took over Ellie.

know what to do.

had left a huge traumatic mark on

She didn't hate the idea of getting

but she was happy

sure about what she was feeling, but she knew that