No One Waited at the Sunset's End

I've broken up with Paddy Dickerson six times. Every single time, because of Sarah Fox.

To bankroll that bankrupt princess's spending habits, he'd sneak off to underground boxing rings behind my back, trading his body for cash.

And every time I steeled myself to end it, he'd drop to his knees in front of me, eyes bloodshot, swearing it was the last time.

Seeing him covered in wounds, I'd cave. Every time.

Today was the day we'd agreed to meet each other's parents and set a wedding date.

I sat in the private dining room under the stares of relatives, waiting from noon until dark. Paddy never showed.

At ten o'clock that night, I finally got a call. From his buddy Karl Fletcher.

“Carly, Paddy went to fight and they rushed him into the ER, you need to……”

I cut him off.

“For Sarah again?”

Karl stammered through an explanation.

“Sarah had her eye on some limited-edition bag……”

The other end of the line was chaos. Underneath it, I could make out Sarah calling Paddy's name.

Something in me just went quiet.

All the shameless pushing and pulling, the breaking up and making up—it was like death by a thousand cuts, and the blade never stopped.

I closed my eyes and spoke into the phone, calm.

“I'm not coming.”

“Tell him we're done. For good.”

……

My mom looked at me and let out a sigh, her heart breaking for me.

“Maybe it's for the best.”

“We can take the embarrassment. Better than you spending the rest of your life on edge.”

I held back my tears and nodded.

“Mom, take Dad and go home. Don't worry about me.”

“I've got a few things left to take care of.”

After I saw my parents off, I sat alone in the empty private room.

My phone screen lit up. A video from Sarah, maybe fifteen seconds long.

In the frame, Paddy lay on a hospital bed, face bruised and swollen, looking wrecked and weak.

He forced a weak smile.

“What are you crying for?”

“When have I ever broken a promise to you about a gift?”

The video cut off right there.

A text from Sarah followed immediately.

【Paddy's awake and he got me the bag! Don't be mad at him, and don't worry okay?】

I didn't reply. Just locked the screen.

Half an hour later, I was back at the apartment Paddy and I rented together.

I pulled the suitcase out from under the bed and started packing.

When I opened the bottom drawer of the closet, my hands stopped.

A cheap trophy sat there, piled in the back. Something Paddy had won in the ring.

I stared at it, and for a second the room went hazy.

I was back two years ago.

The first time he'd gone to the underground fights behind my back. When I found out, I fell apart and told him we were done.

It rained hard that night.

Paddy dragged his beaten-up body to the door of my rental and wouldn't leave no matter how many times I told him to go.

I kept my face cold and told him I would never forgive him. He got so desperate his eyes went red, and then he collapsed right at my feet.

I was shaking so hard I couldn't stop, holding his unconscious body against me, crying until I couldn't breathe.

I thought I was really going to lose him.

That terror of almost losing the person you love most. It made me surrender completely.

Then came the second time, the third……

“Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz——”

The vibration of my phone dragged me out of the memory.

Paddy.

“Carly, you got scared, huh? I'm fine, just a few scratches.”

“Karl's such a drama queen. Doctor says two days of observation and I'm good to go.”

“Sorry about today. Your parents must be pretty upset, right?”

I gave a quiet "mm."

When he didn't hear the usual tears and screaming, he sounded relieved.