I Was Exiled to the Hallway at My Brother’s Anniversary. Six Months Earlier, I’d Bought the Building.

Not in a hallway. At the family table. Where you’ve always belonged. —E

I didn’t respond immediately. I sat with the invitation for days, feeling the weight of old wounds and new possibilities. Finally, I called Ethan.

“I got your invitation,” I said.

“I wasn’t sure you’d even open it,” he admitted.

“I’m thinking about it,” I said carefully. “But I need continue reading …