My parents forbade me from celebrating my 18th birthday because my sister didn’t feel special enough. So I moved out that night. A year later, their golden girl saw how successful I’d become, and her jealous meltdown shattered the family.

felt like maybe it was starting to heal.

Three months later, I got a text from my mother. Just one line.

“Your father and I would like to talk.”

I showed it to Marcus, who was making dinner in our new apartment.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said, deleting the message. “I want to do absolutely nothing.”

“Good,” he said.

I texted Bethany continue reading …