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.

wrapped herself with her shaking arms to hold herself. Her tears

facade she had shown him

left for real. She was really all alone.

L City was to

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

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

them just looked at her with sad faces and tried to

panic after she didn't hear

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

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

Ellie. They said that they might fight it through and they

hearing the story, she

J City. She didn't believe that any sickness

had known, she would not agree to let them

she decided to

then, Francis had returned to Ellie's house and saw her sitting on the bed, holding

He wondered why it was so hard for her to accept that they had spent a

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

looked up at him, surprised, "Why are you

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

to her, Francis sighed, "Did you forget what I told you last night? No matter what happens, I will be with you. You are not

at him with a blank

know if she should trust

it sounded really tempting when he told

took over Ellie.

know what to

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

didn't hate the idea

just realized it, but she was happy when he was around.

what she