In that moment, I saw a flicker of realization cross her face, a small crack in the hard exterior she had presented. She looked at me, really looked at me, for the first time that day. And in her eyes, I saw the stirrings of regret.

“Maybe… maybe I was wrong,” she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Matthew nodded, stepping beside me. “Your sister is not a burden, Lila. She’s a part of your life, just as you are a part of hers. It’s time to celebrate that, not hide from it.”