Ihadn’t spoken to my younger sister in years, but when she showed up at our Fourth of July celebration, I never expected her to bring chaos to our family. What started as a joyful announcement soon devolved into a battle over inheritance, secrets, and shattered trust.
For most people, the holidays are an opportunity to spend time with family. My family was no exception.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
Since I was a child, we would gather at my grandmother’s house, and even when I grew up and had my own family, this tradition had not changed.
Mark and I were already on our way to my grandmother’s house to celebrate the 4th of July.
When my younger sister and I were children, Dad used to buy fireworks every 4th of July, and we would watch him light them with excitement.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
But many things had changed since then. Dad still bought fireworks every year, but Kate and I stopped speaking to each other, because we had become very different.
She rarely came to family gatherings, claiming she had more important things to do, and fireworks no longer excited us like they did when we were children.
That was probably the saddest part of growing up, since we would never again experience such vivid emotions and experiences as in childhood.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
But now, I loved the holidays because I could spend them with my loved ones.
And this July 4th was especially special for Mark and me. We had some happy news.
“Are you nervous?” Mark asked, taking his eyes off the road for a moment.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Yes, although I know everyone will react well,” I replied.
“Aren’t you worried Kate will tell? She saw you in the hospital with the ultrasounds,” Mark said.
“I’m sure Kate won’t even come, so no,” I said.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“That’s fine. She’d be furious if Grandma’s inheritance went to you,” Mark pointed out.
“I don’t care about the money. Besides, the inheritance isn’t for me, it’s for our baby,” I said, putting my hand on my belly.
I had just entered my fourth month of pregnancy. We hadn’t told anyone yet, because we were nervous about whether everything would go well.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
But we decided to share the news at the party – it was time and I couldn’t keep such a happy secret any longer.
When we arrived, my parents’ car was already parked in front of the house, and the smell of barbecue wafted through the backyard.
We went inside and found Mom and Grandma in the kitchen, already preparing dinner.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Is Dad making his famous steaks?” I asked, hugging Mom.
“Oh, yes, and hamburgers. Sometimes I get the feeling he likes grilling more than I do,” Mom said.
“You’re lucky it’s just a piece of metal,” I joked.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“You look good. You’re radiant,” said Grandma, looking at me.
It was true. Pregnancy suited me well, and I truly felt radiant.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
“He’s very nice,” replied Grandma. “It seems Mark is treating you well,” she added.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“I do everything I can,” Mark said.
Dad came into the kitchen, carrying a tray of hamburgers.
“Is that going to take forever? I’ve already got everything ready,” he said.
“We’re ready too, don’t be annoying,” replied the grandmother.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
We all went out to the patio to start dinner. Everything looked delicious, and I didn’t know where to begin. We chatted about everyday things, reminiscing about old stories.
“Why do you only drink water?” asked Grandma, looking at me intently.
“Um…” Mark and I exchanged glances. He nodded and took my hand. “We have news for everyone,” I began, but I was interrupted.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Hey, family! Can someone let me in?” someone shouted from the road.
I turned around and saw Kate peeking over the fence. What was she doing here?
In fact, the last time Kate and I saw each other was about five years ago, when she stole a large sum of money from me.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
After that, he didn’t speak to me, didn’t answer my calls or messages, and didn’t show up for the vacation.
I ran into her again at the hospital when I had an ultrasound, but she acted like she didn’t know me and just walked right past. What was she doing here now? Was she here to steal more money?
Mom opened the door for her and Kate sat down at the table.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“How’s everything going?” he asked.
“Why haven’t you shown up all these years?” asked Grandma, clearly angry.
“What does it matter? The important thing is that I’m here now,” Kate said. “And I have some news—I’m pregnant!” she announced happily.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
Everyone immediately forgot about the past and rushed to congratulate and hug Kate.
Except for Mark and me. We exchanged awkward glances. I knew my sister, and something didn’t add up. Kate wasn’t the type to share news with the family; she was hiding something.
“And how far along are you?” I asked.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“I’m already five months pregnant,” Kate replied.
“Your belly looks very small for being five months pregnant,” I said.
“It happens. Mom was the same way when she was pregnant with me,” Kate quickly replied.
“That’s true,” Mom added.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
Everyone continued chatting animatedly with Kate about her pregnancy. She said she had a boyfriend, that they loved each other, and that she would introduce him to everyone soon.
When his enthusiasm for Kate’s pregnancy cooled a bit, Mark and I decided to share our news.
“What I haven’t been able to say before because Kate kept interrupting me – is that Mark and I are also expecting a baby,” I announced happily.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Oh my God, how wonderful! I’m going to have two grandchildren almost at the same time!” Mom shouted. She and Dad hugged me, and then Grandma did too.
Kate sat with a frown on her face, as if something was bothering her.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“It’s just weird,” Kate said. “The moment I tell you I’m pregnant, it turns out you are too.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you think I’m lying?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe you just want Grandma’s inheritance,” Kate said.
“Are you kidding? Grandma is literally sitting right here,” I snapped.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“I just can’t believe it,” Kate said.
“Well, should I get tested? Or should I show you the ultrasound pictures?” I asked.
I rummaged through my bag to find the photos I’d brought specifically to show everyone, but they weren’t there. No matter how hard I looked, they’d vanished.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Maybe they’re in the car,” Mark suggested.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“I’ll go check it out,” he said, getting up from the table.
“I can show you mine,” Kate said, pulling ultrasound photos from her bag. Very familiar photos.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Are you kidding me?” I yelled. “They’re my photos!”
“I know you hate that all the attention isn’t on you, but, God, Jane, accusing me of stealing your photos is too much,” Kate said.
“But it’s true!” I shouted.
“Jane, that’s not right,” Mom said.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“Do you believe him?” I asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Mom asked.
“Because she’s lying! It’s obvious! It’s Kate!” I shouted, and when I looked at Kate, I saw that she was starting to cry.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“And now he’s putting on a show,” I said.
“How can you talk about me like that? I’m your sister,” Kate said.
Mom hugged her. “Okay, okay. Jane, apologize to Kate. She’s pregnant, she shouldn’t be stressed.”
“I’m pregnant too, you know?” I shouted.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“Now I think Kate might be right and you just want attention,” Dad said.
“You too?” I asked.
“There are no photos in the car. You must have forgotten them,” Mark said, returning to the table.
“Mark, don’t you think we’re expecting a baby?” I told him.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“What? But it’s true! We forgot the photos at home,” said Mark.
“We didn’t forget them at home, Kate stole them!” I yelled, and Kate started crying even more.
“Jane, I think you need to take a walk and calm down,” Mom said.
I groaned in frustration and went outside. Mark ran after me.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“I really want to go for a walk, because if I don’t, I’ll punch Kate,” I told him.
“Don’t stress too much. Think about the baby,” Mark said.
“They don’t believe I’m pregnant! But they believe Kate, even though I’m almost certain she’s lying about her pregnancy,” I said.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“Why do you think that?” Mark asked.
“Why else would he steal the ultrasound photos?” I asked.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Mark asked.
“No, I want to walk alone,” I replied and left.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
I didn’t walk for very long because I started to get tired quickly, perhaps because of the pregnancy, so I went back to my grandmother’s house.
When I went into the bathroom to wash my hands, I saw Kate taking some pills.
“What are you taking?” I asked him.
“Retinoids. My dermatologist prescribed them,” Kate said.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
And there she was. They had caught her.
“I see. Why are you lying about your pregnancy?” I asked her.
“I don’t lie,” Kate replied.
“We both know they were my photos. You realize you won’t receive Grandma’s inheritance while she’s alive, right?” I asked.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“I’ll just say I need the money for the baby. I’m sure he’ll give it to me,” Kate said.
“What will you do when the 9 months are up? Steal a baby?” I asked.
“Well, accidents happen. The baby may not be born,” Kate said.
“I can’t believe what you’re willing to do for money. Did you do all this because you saw me in the hospital and realized my baby was going to inherit from Grandma?”
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kate said and left the bathroom.
I didn’t stay there long and went back to the table. Kate and Mom were already arguing about what color to paint the baby’s room. I rolled my eyes.
“It’s time to start the fireworks!” Dad shouted and went to prepare them.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
We all got up from the table to get a better look at them.
“Kate, remind me the name of the pills you’re taking,” I asked, smiling.
“Retinoids. Is your memory that bad?” Kate replied mockingly.
I saw panic on Mom and Grandma’s faces.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
“What are you doing? You can’t take them!” Mom screamed, terrified.
“Why not?” asked Kate, completely bewildered.
“They are forbidden for pregnant women!” shouted the grandmother.
“Where did you hear that?” Kate asked.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“It’s true! You’re not supposed to take them a year before getting pregnant. Didn’t your doctor tell you that?” Mom asked.
“Nobody told me anything,” Kate murmured.
“Because she’s not pregnant. That’s why I didn’t know,” I said.
“When are you going to stop stealing all the attention?” Kate shouted.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“Well, let’s get tested. I think I have one in my car,” I said.
“I’m not going to do anything just to prove something to you,” Kate snapped.
“Why not? Don’t you think I’m pregnant, just like everyone else? Let’s take a test,” I said.
“I’m not going to do anything!” Kate shouted.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
“Why? Are you scared?” I asked him.
“I don’t want to do it. God, you’re driving me crazy. I need a drink,” Kate said.
“A drink? You’re pregnant,” said Grandma.
“Kate, were you lying to us?” Mom asked.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
Kate hesitated, glancing at Mom and Grandma. She had dug her own grave. She hadn’t even had to try.
“Why should the entire inheritance go to Jane’s baby?” Kate shouted.
“Is that what you care about? My money? I was going to rewrite my will today and divide everything between your two children, but because of your audacity, I’m not going to do it. Do you want to keep my money while I’m still alive?” the grandmother shouted.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Sora
At that moment, the fireworks began to shoot into the sky. Kate looked terrified as she glared at everyone, then she screamed, “I hate this family!” and stormed off.
We watched her disappear beneath the fireworks in the sky, and I felt relieved to have finally revealed the truth.
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only | Source: Pexels
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