As we prepared to leave, my mother hesitated. “James is angry with you. He thinks you’ve betrayed the family.”

“James has always been Dad’s echo,” I said. “He needs time to find his own voice, just like we all do.”

She nodded sadly. “We’re flying back tomorrow morning. Will you be all right?”

“I’ll be better than all right,” I assured her. “I have good friends, exciting plans, and for the first time, I feel like I can move forward without carrying secrets that were never mine to keep.”

That evening, as I packed my apartment for my upcoming move, my phone exploded with notifications.

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