Hey hon. This is a shock, now isn't it? I had to read twice to get the ending.
I like the story, because it tugs at my heart. Sure sign to me of good writing.
But, - remember this comes from love - as for the surprise ending, I wish there were just some more hints/foreshadowing. Maybe there are some, , but I haven't notice them.
Also, as we have talked about, the nature of short story is that you don't tie up all the loose ends. Well, I wish I could know more about Eric and Paul, e.g. Why the persona Paul was created?
However, despite all that, I still love the story, so... Good writing good read!