When Family Turns Foe

usual. I was eight months pregnant, and every bump in the road made me win

" he asked, his h

was so insistent on the pho

. Dad had recently retired from the factory, and Mom was a homema

ed the usual quiet. Instead, the front door

w dro

pregnant. Her belly was

she chirpe

proud grin on his face. "We're having a b

om was fifty-fiv

ed as shocke

e. In its place was a lavish nursery, filled with expensive-looking baby gear – a crib that probabl

e from?" I asked, a kno

. She barely glanced at my own swollen stomach. Her focus was entirely on her "mirac

sleep?" I asked, tryin

, dear," she said, already turning b

mall talk, but the air was thick with unspoken thi

to help support your little brother," David sai

on a teacher's salary. Michael, a software en

bright. "And we've been thinking, dear. It' s time

n my father never fully explained, they had put it in my name. It was always unders

ouse. If that's what you want." It

atisfied glint in

demand, the one tha

ntinued, her voice sweet as poiso

y'd alread

t her. "The one Grandm

ch, but it was enough for a down payment on my modest condo in the city. It w

my voice trembling slightly. "She told everyone, you included, Da

arah. He's your only brother. He deserves a

" I said, my voice risi

r voice hardening. "You wouldn't want you

ch. A wave of dizziness washed over

well," I gasped, cl

Sarah. Don't be dramatic. You're just tr

d down at his plate,

, his face grim.

walked out the door, Susan ca

right, Sarah! Do the rig

drove away. It wasn't just the baby; it