"Besides, you've always been sharper than your brother. A surgery this serious, I need you by my side to feel safe."
Sharper.
It hit me then. My mother couldn't bring herself to use a single kind word when she talked about me.
A bitter laugh escaped before I could swallow it. "So what you're saying is, Dad's too sick to help, Cornelius's honeymoon can't be postponed..."
"And I have to terminate my pregnancy to take care of you?"
She didn't see a single thing wrong with that. She nodded as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world. "You're the eldest. Isn't it your responsibility to look after me?"
"Your brother is still young. He doesn't know how to handle things. Something as serious as surgery, I can only count on you!"
"Still young?" I lost hold of the last thread of restraint. "He's two years younger than me. He's turning thirty this year. What exactly doesn't he know how to handle?"
The words had barely left my mouth.
A slap landed square across my face.
I hadn't seen it coming. The force knocked me sideways off the chair, a high-pitched ringing flooding my ear. My cheek burned instantly.