He wondered if a thief had broken into Ellie's apartment, but he quickly dismissed that notion. Her
apartment was in a very nice neighborhood so it was far-fetched for anyone to break in. Then that left
only one explanation. Ellie might be back!
Francis' eyes lit up with the realization that Ellie might have returned from her trip.
He walked in hastily, eager to see the girl he adored.
But when he entered, he found that the apartment reeked of alcohol.
Then he spotted Ellie, who was leaning against a couch. She had passed out.
Seeing her in this miserable condition, Francis frowned and walked toward her.
She was not the kind of girl to over indulge in alcohol. Sometimes, she would have a bit of wine with
Ashley if they were celebrating something. However, she had never crossed the limit when it came to
drinking and she had certainly never been in a sorry state like this.
Francis didn't know the whole story, but her face was red and she appeared drunk.
He knelt down next to her. Taking the beer bottle from her hand, he asked, "Ellie, what's wrong?" She
woke up with a start! She tried to hold on to the beer in her hand. Francis hissed, "Stop drinking it.
That's enough!"
He was really worried about Ellie.
However, she grasped the bottle even tighter and replied, "No!"
Ellie was not as strong as Francis. Plus she was inebriated. She could barely hold on to the bottle.
So, it was very easy for him to take the bottle from her.
Ellie realized this and tried to grab another beer from the box. Francis' brows furrowed even tighter.
He couldn't understand what had happened to her.
She seemed fine before she went to L City. He couldn't fathom why she would want to get drunk.
Francis pushed the box of beers away from her. She was not happy with this. She tried to glare at him,
but she was too drunk to focus. All she knew was that the man in front of her was very familiar. So she
didn't really bother.
"Give... give it back to me!"
she slurred, looking in his direction.
Her voice was quite different from how it normally sounded. It was softer and sweeter.
Francis was absolutely stunned.
Seeing Francis in a state of shock, Ellie got the chance to grab her beer. She lifted the bottle to her lips
and took a large swig from it.
Tears were falling from her eyes like pearls from a broken necklace, one after another. "I am all alone
now! I have no one but myself from now on," she wailed.
She emptied the bottle, curled up into a ball and burst into tears.
Her loud cry jolted Francis back. She buried her head between her knees and sobbed loudly.
Francis had seen many girls crying but none of them could make him feel this way. It was an utterly
heart-wrenching sight.
He didn't know what to do or how to help her. His first reaction was to call Ashley and ask her.
He got his phone out but stopped before dialing her number.
It was late. He figured that Ashley might already be asleep. As Ellie had just returned, there was a
strong chance that Ashley might not know what happened to her.
After struggling with his decision for a short while, he finally put his phone away.
Moving closer to Ellie, he asked, "Ellie, please stop crying. What's wrong? You know you can tell me
anything."
She was still crying and couldn't respond. "Did anybody hurt you? If that is the case, I will send
someone to beat him up!"
"Did something happen in L City? Ellie, please don't cry. You can tell me about it! Please just talk to
me."
"Ellie..."
Francis kept trying to comfort her, but he wasn't succeeding.
Seeing her in this awful and inconsolable state, he was also heartbroken.
He never cared about a woman's pain and tears. The old Francis would have shamelessly left the
crying woman and walked away.
But he wasn't that man any more. He cared deeply about Ellie. If there was a way to make her feel
better and take her pain away, he would do it without giving it a second thought.
Francis was still trying desperately to think of a way to make her stop crying, when Ellie grabbed his
arms and pulled him close. She hugged him tight and sobbed, "They are all gone... They left me all
alone... I am all by myself now... All by myself..." She stuttered, still bawling and holding on to Francis
tightly.
Francis was able to piece together a vague idea of what might have happened to her.
But he couldn't figure out who had left her and why she was all alone now.
Under normal circumstances, Francis would be so stoked about Ellie's voluntary hug. However, at this
point he couldn't feel anything but sad.
Hugging Ellie back, he replied, "You are not alone. You have me. I am here for you. And I will be here
for you forever, no matter what happens."
Ellie raised her head suddenly upon hearing his words. Looking at him, she asked, "Really?"
Her big eyes were full of tears and she looked confused and lost. She was asking the question
subconsciously.
Francis answered, "Of course! You always have me. I am all yours. I will not leave you, ever! Trust me,
Ellie."
Francis spoke solemnly. He always knew Ellie was definitely in his heart, but in this tender moment he
was a hundred percent certain that he was deeply in love with her.
He was willing to change himself and turn a new leaf for her. He would let go of all his bad habits. He
wanted to be with her and love her forever. He wanted to marry her and become a devoted husband to
her.
He pursed his lips and made up his mind! He was going to prove this to Ellie.
Ellie held his face in both hands and tried to focus on him through the haze of tears and alcohol.
However, she was too drunk to do it. She squinted, trying her best to look at his face.
Suddenly, she pulled him close and kissed him.
His mind went blank. He couldn't think about anything else in that moment.
His head was spinning! Ellie kissed him.
She kissed him!
Ellie actually kissed him!
And she kissed him on her own, without any provocation from him or anybody else!
Francis thought she must like him. He doubted she would kiss him if she didn't have feelings for him.
Francis was overjoyed! He didn't know what to do. He didn't even know where to put his hands.
Many girls had kissed him, but he had never been kissed by the girl he loved. Now, she was kissing
him and he was fumbling like an idiot.
Francis was like a young boy who was being kissed by his lover for the first time.
Ellie had never kissed anyone. She didn't really know how either. She was basically just biting his lips.
She even broke the skin on his lips.
Tasting the blood, she frowned and stopped "kissing" him. She seemed really anxious with the taste of
blood. She looked at Francis unhappily.
Finally, Francis recovered from the shock. He put his hands on Ellie's shoulders and asked, "Ellie, take
a look at me! Do you know who I am and what my name is?"
Francis was aware that Ellie was drunk. He was afraid that she had mistaken him for someone else.
"Francis Nan..."
Ellie looked him with her head cocked sideways and murmured.
"Ellie, Ellie..."
Francis called out her name and hugged her. Then, he kissed her back.
Ellie didn't push him away this time. She hugged him back and her tongue followed his.
Francis was a very good kisser. He kissed her passionately. Only because she needed to catch her
breath did he let her go.
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