I sat in the driver’s seat, my fingers gripping the wheel, as I drove toward my mother’s house. It felt surreal. Just a week ago, I had buried her, and now I was heading back to face the painful reality of everything she left behind. The funeral was over, but now came the hard part—the legal and financial decisions that no one else seemed capable of handling. Once again, it was all falling on me.
Ever since Mom had gotten sick, I’d been the one to step up. I fed her, bathed her, paid her bills, and sat by her side when she could no longer walk. I was there for her every single day. I never expected anything in return, but there was one thing I was sure of: the house would be mine. It had to be. I was the one who cared for her. Not Phoebe.
Phoebe… my younger sister. She was always a handful—unpredictable, chaotic, and, well, broken. She couldn’t handle responsibility the way I could. Despite everything, though, I couldn’t stop worrying about her. She was my sister, after all, and even though we weren’t close, I still loved her.
Beside me, Dan sat silently, the faint scent of alcohol hanging around him. He’d promised me he was done drinking, but I knew better. His breath told a different story. He was always like this—empty promises, no follow-through. I was close to my breaking point, but there wasn’t much I could do about it right now.
We pulled into the driveway of Mom’s house, and my stomach turned at the sight. The house I’d spent so much time in. The house I’d imagined would be mine. Standing outside was the lawyer I had hired, his briefcase clutched in his hand, waiting.
“Hi,” I greeted him as I got out of the car. “Why aren’t you inside?”
“It’s locked,” he replied, glancing at the house.
“Locked?” I repeated, confusion creeping into my voice. “Phoebe isn’t here yet? She told me she’d get here early.”
I pulled out my phone and called Phoebe. The call went straight to voicemail.
“Her phone’s off. Great,” I muttered under my breath, shoving the phone back into my pocket. I didn’t have the keys either.
Dan, who was standing behind me, shook his head. “Your sister, as usual. She needs a babysitter or something,” he mumbled under his breath.
“She’ll be here soon,” I said, trying to stay calm. I shot him a warning glance, daring him to say anything more.
A few minutes later, I saw Phoebe walking up the driveway. Her hair was messy, and her mascara had streaked down her face. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Rough night, huh?” I asked, crossing my arms.
Phoebe gave a weak smirk. “Is it that obvious?”
“Get yourself together. The lawyer’s waiting,” I said, motioning toward the house.
“Oh, please,” she scoffed, brushing past me. “We all know the house is going to you. You’re the perfect daughter, remember?”
I clenched my teeth, but I didn’t respond. I knew she was struggling, and I tried to be patient, even though I was hurt by her words. Mom’s death had hit her hard. Everyone always said how much Phoebe looked like Mom—maybe that’s why this was harder for her than it was for me.
Inside the house, we all sat down, and the lawyer began reading the will. His voice was calm and steady as he went over the details. But then he said something that left me in shock.
“The house and all assets go to Phoebe.”
I stared at him, my heart racing. “What?” I blurted out. “What do you mean the house goes to Phoebe?”
“I’m just reading what’s written,” the lawyer said, his voice still calm.
Dan exploded. “That’s not fair! Katherine’s the one who cared for your mother! She didn’t do anything!”
Phoebe stood up abruptly, her face crumpling, and ran outside.
“Dan!” I snapped, turning toward him. “Calm down!”
“What? You know I’m right,” he said, his voice filled with anger.
I didn’t respond. I just rolled my eyes and followed Phoebe outside.
She was sitting on the bench in the backyard, the one Mom always loved so much. Phoebe looked tired, her shoulders slumped forward, her hands nervously fidgeting in her lap.
“Sorry about Dan,” I said, trying to break the silence as I sat beside her.
“It’s fine,” Phoebe replied, her voice flat. “He’s always like that. You should leave him.”
“I can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s my husband.”
Phoebe didn’t respond. She just stared ahead, lost in thought. After a moment, I spoke again. “Sell me the house.”
“What?” Phoebe turned to me, startled.
“You need money for your flower shop,” I said, my voice steady, though my heart was pounding. “Sell it to me. I’ll tear it down and build the house I’ve always dreamed of. I thought Mom would leave it to me, but…”
“No,” Phoebe said, cutting me off sharply.
“What do you mean, no?” I asked, my frustration starting to show. “I cared for Mom! I did everything for her, and you—”
“I don’t care!” Phoebe shouted, standing up now, her face red with emotion. “You’ve got everything, Katherine! A good job, a husband—even if he’s terrible—and a million opportunities. And what do I have? Just this house.”
“And I have responsibilities!” I shouted back. “I couldn’t take that job abroad because I couldn’t leave you. You wouldn’t have survived without me!”
Phoebe’s face twisted in pain. “Get out!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “I’m not giving you the house!”
“Then I’ll take it!” I shouted, turning and storming away.
As I walked away from Phoebe, the weight of everything hit me. She was right in a way—I did have everything. I could buy another house if I wanted. But Dan wouldn’t let it go. He kept pushing me to contest the will, saying it wasn’t fair, that I deserved the house.
I didn’t understand why it mattered so much to him. His insistence was wearing me down, though, and eventually, I gave in.
So it started—lawyers, meetings with Phoebe, endless debates about the will. Phoebe, however, seemed completely indifferent to all of it. She shrugged her way through every meeting like nothing mattered. I was beginning to feel like I was fighting a losing battle.
But then, just a few days before the court date, I discovered something that changed everything.
In Dan’s office, there was a pile of papers on his desk—overdue bills, debt notices, things I hadn’t seen before. My stomach dropped as I flipped through them. He was drowning in debt.
“Dan!” I stormed into the bedroom, holding the papers up. “What is all of this?”
Dan sat up in bed, his face pale. “Katherine, it’s all a misunderstanding,” he said, scrambling for an explanation.
“A misunderstanding?” I repeated, my voice rising. “Do you see how much debt you have? Where did all this come from?”
Dan avoided my gaze, rubbing his face with his hands. “We can fix this,” he muttered.
“We?” I snapped. “Is that why you pushed me to fight Phoebe for the house? So we could sell it and pay off your debts?”
Dan’s face shifted from guilt to anger. “She doesn’t deserve it!” he shouted. “She’s ruining our lives! You’re always running to her, and you didn’t even want to contest the will! You were the one who cared for Mom!”
I felt my anger rise as I snapped back. “Because Phoebe couldn’t be there! She couldn’t bear to see Mom like that. You can’t even keep a promise, Dan. Where did these debts come from?”
He looked down at the floor, his shoulders slumping. “Gambling,” he muttered.
“Gambling?” I repeated, my voice filled with disbelief. “And you want me to sell the house to fix it?”
“Please, Katherine, I’ll quit gambling for good. We can pay everything off,” he said quickly, his desperation clear.
“Like you quit drinking?” I asked, my voice cold.
Dan didn’t answer. He just looked at me, guilt written all over his face.
I shook my head, walking out of the room. “You’re impossible,” I muttered.
I grabbed my keys and drove to Mom’s house. I rang the doorbell, and Phoebe opened it almost immediately.
“What is it now?” she asked, her voice sharp. “Did you come to beg me to sell the house again?”
“No,” I said, stepping inside. “Dan gambled away a ton of money.”
Phoebe’s expression shifted from annoyance to surprise. She didn’t say anything, just led me to the backyard. We sat on the bench, Mom’s favorite spot.
“We can sell the house and split the money,” Phoebe said after a long silence.
I shook my head. “No, I’m not doing that. Mom left the house to you. She wanted you to have it.”
“But you were going to take it from me,” Phoebe said softly, her voice accusing.
I nodded, feeling the weight of my shame. “That was an empty threat during our fight. Dan pushed me into it, and now I know why.”
“You’re not going to pay off his debt, are you?” Phoebe asked, watching me closely.
“No,” I said firmly. “The only person I’d sacrifice everything for is you.”
Phoebe was silent, staring at the ground. After a while, she spoke again. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’ve always felt like I was in your shadow. Katherine this, Katherine that. I was just the weird girl who made jokes.”
“Just like Mom,” I said, smiling a little.
“Yeah,” Phoebe said, her own smile forming.
“I know you couldn’t help. It was too painful to see Mom like that. But she knew you loved her. And she always talked about you. She loved you more than me,” I admitted.
Phoebe laughed softly. “Looks like Mom should’ve taken parenting lessons before having kids.”
I laughed with her.
“So, what will you do?” she asked after a long pause.
“Leave Dan, give you money for your flower shop, and take that job abroad,” I said.
“Katherine,” Phoebe said, looking at me seriously.
“Yeah?” I asked
, glancing back at her.
“I’ll be fine,” Phoebe said with a soft smile. “And so will you.”
I smiled back, pulling her into a tight hug. “Yeah, I know,” I whispered.
