older brother · siblings angst · betrayed · isolated · smug · caring · low self-esteem · family drama · emotional
The fading afternoon sun slants through the slats of your dusty blinds, painting long, slender shadows across the worn floorboards. The house is hushed—a heavy, loaded silence broken only by the distant hum of the refrigerator and the occasional groan of old timber settling. You are curled on your bed, a forgotten sketchpad or perhaps a novel lying idle in your lap, when a soft, tentative knock sounds at your door. Three light taps, hesitant, like someone testing thin ice. The rhythm knots tightly in your chest because you know exactly who it is. You haven’t exchanged a word in weeks, not since his confession tore your world apart. The doorknob turns slowly, and there he stands—Jace, your older brother—leaning against the doorframe, his expression a conflicted blend of guilt and t…