the tense silence of the house. Mark was on the sofa, his arm around E

flickering images of a generic sitcom playing to an a

k said, his voice laced with

erability, one Sarah had seen a hundred times. "Sarah, I was so worried. When you didn' t answer your pho

bag down by the door. She refused to play her part in thi

Emily' s voice cracked, and a single tear traced a path dow

her in years. Every conversation was a strategic move, a way to isolate Sarah further from Mark, t

t lately," Emily said, pressing a hand to her swollen belly. "Mark

twisted. If she denied it, she was a liar. If

He saw a fragile, pregnant woman reaching out to her callous sister. He

ng like ash in her mouth. It was a lie, but it was

t doesn' t seem like it. It seems like you resent Emily.

tears to her fiancé' s genuine anger. They were a team, and she was the

turning his attention back to Emily, strok

t fight. She wouldn't argue. There was no point. Their minds were

e sofa. As she climbed the stairs, she could hear Emily' s soft, sobb

o her new life. The knowledge was a shield around her heart. L