I’m Kelly. At 29, life had thrown its fair share of curves my way, but none so sharp as the one I faced after losing both my parents. My brother, Jake, is a year younger, and we’ve been there for each other since childhood. We lost our mother during our college years, and that alone felt like being robbed of a cornerstone in our lives.
A girl reading to her brother | Source: Pexels
However, the real twist came not even a year after Mom’s passing. Dad, Johnathan, seemed to leap at the chance to fill the void she left. Enter Alisa, his new girlfriend. She was amiable enough, with a smile that could light up any room and the kind of warmth that made you feel welcome. But to Jake and I, her presence felt more like an intrusion.
A casket with flowers | Source: Pexels
Despite our initial resistance, Dad and Alisa got married exactly one year after they met. Their wedding, while beautiful, was a blur to Jake and me. We spent the event on the fringes, our smiles forced and our hearts heavy. We couldn’t shake off the feeling of betrayal, as if attending the wedding was an act of disloyalty to our mother’s memory. Looking back, perhaps we could have been less cold, more open to the healing Alisa might have brought into our fractured lives.
A man and a woman holding each other | Source: Pexels
As the years ticked by, Dad aged and the reality of life’s shortness set in. He was significantly older than Alisa, a detail that didn’t escape him as he meticulously updated his will. Jake and I never broached the subject with him, but the unspoken understanding hung heavily between us—we were almost certain he would leave everything to her.
Grayscale of an old man walking with a cane and newspaper | Source: Pexels
Then, it happened. Six years into their marriage, Dad passed away. Losing him compounded the grief we still nursed from our mother’s death. By then, Jake and I were both...
