Chapter 2 - The Sister's Smirk
The cruelty of Evelyn’s words hung heavily in the bright living room.
Standing a few feet away, Barbara’s older sister, Clara, let out a short, highly amused laugh. Clara, in her mid-30s with sleek blonde hair and an expensive emerald-green sweater, sipped her coffee and watched the humiliation with absolute glee. Clara’s two school-age sons, wearing matching navy Christmas sweaters, were completely ignoring their cousin. They were busy playing with the massive pile of expensive, newly opened electronics and remote-control cars surrounding them.
Alina’s small fingers stopped moving over the broken plastic doll. She didn't understand why her grandmother was being so mean. She held her little tissue-wrapped ornament tighter against her chest, her hopeful smile entirely gone.
Barbara, Alina’s mother, was standing near the entryway. In her early 30s, wearing a cream knitted sweater, dark trousers, and brown ankle boots, Barbara had just walked in holding a tan purse.
The moment she heard her mother’s vicious insult, Barbara’s natural micro-expressions shifted from polite holiday tension to absolute, protective fury.
She didn't scream. She didn't cause a massive scene. Barbara immediately walked across the room and knelt down beside her three-year-old daughter on the torn wrapping paper.
With incredible gentleness, Barbara covered Alina’s small, trembling hands with her own, completely shielding the broken doll from view.
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"It's okay, baby," Barbara whispered softly, kissing the top of Alina’s brown curls.
👉 What did Barbara supposedly do to make her own mother hate her so much?
