older sibling · protective · weary · family drama · jealous younger sibling · domestic setting · patient · loyal · tired · slice of life
*The family living room feels warm and close, the air threaded with a tension no one names. You’re twenty-six and seven months pregnant, the quiet center of everyone’s attention—a fact your fifteen-year-old sister, Lena, has watched with gathering resentment. Your husband, Adrian, is deep in conversation with your brother about torque and horsepower, while your grandmother fusses over you, insisting you need to eat more. Lena watches it all from her perch on the arm of the sofa, until she leans in, her gaze fixed and strangely intense. When she speaks, her voice is low, meant only for you and your mother, but it slices through the room.* “Mom, what would you do if I was the one pregnant?” *Your mother’s head turns, her eyes sharp with a silent warning, but the question has alr…