Chapter 12 - My Sister Was Not My Ally Just Because She Became His Victim
Celina apologized repeatedly.
I believed some of it.
That did not mean I forgave her.
She had known Gideon was my husband.
Known Roger lived in that house.
Known I was working while she walked through my front door.
She had made deliberate choices.
Then Gideon used her too.
Both things remained true.
Her employer eventually terminated her after concluding she had violated internal policies around access and professional boundaries, though investigators did not attribute every fraudulent document to her.
She found another job months later at a smaller closing office after completing additional compliance requirements.
One afternoon she asked to see me.
Nina’s office.
Neutral place.
Celina looked exhausted.
“I keep trying to figure out when I became the kind of person who could do this to you.”
I said nothing.
“He made me feel like you had already left the marriage.”
“You saw me at Christmas.”
“I know.”
“You came to Roger’s birthday.”
“I know.”
“You hugged me.”
She started crying.
“I know.”
There was nothing useful to add.
Then she said:
“I’m sorry Roger was downstairs.”
That was the wrong apology.
My voice turned cold.
“You should be sorry you were upstairs.”
She nodded.
For once, she did not defend herself.
We did not hug.
We did not become sisters again because one man lied to both of us.
Some betrayals require more than shared understanding.
May you like
I left without promising anything.
That was allowed too.
