She reached for my arm, but I stepped back. “Maya, I’m so sorry. I was… caught up in trying to look successful for the cousins. It was a joke! A horrible, stupid joke. Please, call Henderson. Call the bank. The caterers are threatening to sue me, and the landlord says he’ll call the police in three hours!”
She actually dropped to her knees on the wet pavement. “Please fix it. I have nothing if you do this. I’ll give you the $3,000 back. I’ll give you anything!”
I looked down at her. For years, I had been the “quiet” one, the one who absorbed her insults and condescension because I valued the idea of a sister. But looking at her now, I realized she didn’t love me; she loved the lifestyle I provided.
“I already fixed it, Chloe,” I said quietly. “I fixed the problem of me being a ‘burden’ to your circle. You’re a lawyer, right? You should know how to handle a breach of contract. You have three hours to get our parents’ things out of that house.”
“But where will I go?” she sobbed.
“That’s not my problem,” I repeated her own words. “Maybe try a rest stop?”
I got into the car and closed the door. As we drove away, I saw her in the rearview mirror, standing alone in the rain—a “corporate lawyer” with no credit, no house, and finally, no sister. The drive back was seven hours, but for the first time in my life, the road ahead felt completely clear.
