I Was Seated Behind A Pillar At My Sister’s Wedding While Everyone Acted Like I Wasn’t Really Family.

Victoria stirred her salad absently.

“Listen, I wanted to apologize if things felt weird at the wedding. I know the seating arrangement wasn’t ideal, and I feel bad that we didn’t get much time to talk.”

“The seating arrangement put me behind a pillar, Victoria. It wasn’t just not ideal. It was humiliating.”

She had the grace to look uncomfortable.

“That was the wedding planner’s mistake. She didn’t understand family dynamics, and by the time I saw the setup, it was too late to change things without causing chaos.”

“You could have mentioned having a sister to Gregory’s colleagues, to anyone. But you didn’t.”

“That’s not fair. Of course people know I have a sister.”

“Patricia didn’t. She was surprised at the wedding when Julian mentioned it. She said you’d never brought it up during all your planning meetings.”

Victoria’s face flushed.

“I don’t talk about my personal life at work. That doesn’t mean I’m hiding you.”

“Doesn’t it, though? When was the last time you invited me to anything? When did you last call just to talk, not because you needed something or had an obligation?”

“Elizabeth, you’re being dramatic. We’re sisters. Of course we have a relationship.”

“Do we? Because from where I’m sitting, we have a biological connection and not much else. You treat me like an afterthought, like someone you have to include out of duty but would rather forget.”

Victoria set down her fork, her composure cracking slightly.

“Is that really what you think? That I don’t care about you?”

“I think you care about me the way you care about distant cousins. Present at major events, but not really part of your life. And honestly, I’ve accepted that. What bothers me is the pretense. Don’t invite me to lunch and act like we’re close when we both know we’re not.”

“Fine. You want honesty? I’ll give you honesty. You made choices that embarrassed our mother. You chose a career path that she couldn’t brag about to her friends. You refused to conform to the expectations we grew up with. And yes, that created distance between us. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, but it’s the truth.”