3 Years in Jail, I End Our Love

Sean doted on me to the moon and back for the five years we were together. Everyone in our social circle was green with envy over my dumb luck. Yet for all his devotion, the one thing I ached for most, those four little words, "Will you marry me?" never crossed his lips, no matter how long I waited. Then, finally, the day I'd been daydreaming about for years arrived. That was the same day Sean's adopted little sister hit and killed someone with her car. Right then and there, Sean dropped to one knee and slipped a cool metal ring onto my finger. "Susan, will you go to prison for Jenny, please? I promise you, as soon as you get out, I'll marry you, I swear." Those were supposed to be the sweetest, most romantic words in the world. But coming out of Sean's mouth right then, they cut sharper than any knife. I didn't want to take the blame for Jenny Payne's crime. Sean spotted the hesitation on my face right away. He pulled me tight into his arms, reasoning with me softly and earnestly. "Susan, Jenny had just got into her dream college. Her whole life is just getting started. She can't go to prison, it would ruin everything for her." But what he didn't mention was that I'd just gotten my own good news. I'd just gotten accepted into grad school. My future was just getting started too. But what could I do? I'd loved Sean for five whole years. Everyone in our circle said he doted on me like I was his everything. Only I knew the truth. He was a poison sewn right into my heart, one I could never rid myself of. I'd spent years bending over backward to win over every single person in his life, all just to get him to offer me a real, permanent future together. Sean knew me better than anyone. He knew I'd never be able to turn down this chance to finally get the marriage I'd waited so long for. I reached up and brushed my fingers gently over his eyes, which were wide and desperate. "Okay. I'll do it. But I have one condition. I go to prison, and Jenny leaves the family for good. We call it even, no debts on either side." Sean shut his eyes, looking like he was torn apart by an internal battle for a long moment. Finally, he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. And he said, "Deal." ***** When I walked out of the prison gates, Sean was standing off to the side in the shade of a tree, making a phone call. He had sunglasses on, his sharp, chiseled side profile on full display. His deep, smooth voice drifted through the warm summer breeze, bits and pieces making their way to my ears. "Yeah, just make all the stuff you like. Susan isn't picky." He chatted on and on for a long time, only hanging up when he noticed I was right there beside him. He tugged me right into his arms, his hold tightening around me. "Susan, you've lost so much weight." I reached up and pulled off his sunglasses. Those eyes of his, the ones I loved more than anything, were still as fathomless as a dark, endless ocean. Just one look, and I'd get lost in them, same as always. Sean swept me up by the waist, carried me around the front of the car, and set me gently in the passenger seat. I looked up at him and asked, "Sean, why didn't my dad come?" I'd been out of touch with my dad for a whole year. Before that, he'd visited me every single month without fail, and he'd always send me letters too. But a year ago, he'd dropped off the face of the earth all of a sudden. Sean's grip on the steering wheel tightened so hard his knuckles went white. "Susan, let's talk about this when we get home, okay?" I fisted the sleeve of his shirt and held on tight. "Sean, tell me. What happened to my dad?" He went quiet for a beat, the air heavy between us. "Suzy, your dad passed away." After we lost contact, I'd imagined every possible worst-case scenario, braced myself for the worst news I could get. But even with all that preparation, hearing those words out loud hit me like a truck. I couldn't wrap my head around it, couldn't believe it. "My dad was always in perfect health. How could he just die out of nowhere?" "It was an accident," Sean said in a low, soft voice. He lifted his right hand to brush his fingers through my hair. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to visit his grave to pay your respects." I slumped back against the seat, biting down hard on my lip. My last living family member was gone, too.