The same bracelet she had given me at my coming-of-age ceremony now sat on Sophie’s wrist.
“Good girl, it looks perfect on Sophie,” my mother said with doting affection.
And as if that weren’t enough, she added,
“Your sister is just teasing you. From now on, whatever you see at home can be yours too. An older sister should always give way to her younger one.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Sophie’s voice was syrupy sweet.
Mom?
I looked at my mother, waiting for some kind of explanation.
But she ignored me completely, turning instead to kiss Sophie on the head.
“My sweet daughter.”
I was assigned to the guest room—because my old bedroom now belonged to Sophie.
“You’ll just have to make do here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll free up another room for you.”
“What about my room?” I asked.
My mother’s tone was impatient.
“Your sister has gotten used to living there. As her elder, can’t you be more understanding?”
The plain white walls of the guest room reflected back my numb expression.
I didn’t sleep a single minute that night.
The next morning, I opened my door and went straight to my old bedroom—now Sophie’s room.
The door wasn’t locked. I pushed it open.