I hadn’t spoken to my younger sister in years, but when she showed up for our 4th of July celebration, I never expected her to bring chaos into our family. What started as a joyful announcement soon spiraled into a battle for inheritance, secrets, and shattered trust.
For most people, holidays are a chance to spend time with family. My family was no exception.
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Ever since I was a child, we gathered at my grandmother’s house, and even when I grew up and had my own family, this tradition hadn’t changed.
Mark and I were already on our way to my grandmother’s house to celebrate the 4th of July.
When my younger sister and I were kids, Dad used to buy fireworks every 4th of July, and we would watch him light them up with excitement.
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But a lot had changed since then. Dad still bought fireworks every year, but Kate and I stopped talking, as we had grown so different.
She rarely came to family gatherings, claiming she had more important things to do, and the fireworks no longer thrilled us the way they did when we were kids.
That was probably the saddest part of growing up, such vivid emotions and experiences from childhood would never come again.
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But now, I loved holidays because I got to spend them with my loved ones.
And this 4th of July was particularly special for Mark and me. We were bringing joyful news.
“Are you nervous?” Mark asked, glancing away from the road for a moment.
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“Yes, though I know they’ll all react well,” I replied.
“Aren’t you worried Kate will spill the beans? She saw you at the hospital with the ultrasound pictures,” Mark said.
“I’m sure Kate won’t even come, so no,” I said.
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“That’s good. She’d be furious if the inheritance from Grandma went to you,” Mark noted.
“I don’t care about the money. Besides, the inheritance isn’t for me, it’s for our baby,” I said, placing my hand on my belly.
I was just into my fourth month of pregnancy. We hadn’t told anyone yet, because we were nervous about everything going smoothly.
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But we decided to share the news at the party—it was time, and I couldn’t keep such a happy secret any longer.
When we arrived, my parents’ car was already parked in front of the house, and the smell of barbecue wafted from the backyard.
We went inside and found Mom and Grandma in the kitchen, already preparing dinner.
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“Is Dad making his famous steaks?” I asked, hugging Mom.
“Oh, yes, and burgers. Sometimes I feel like he loves that grill more than me,” Mom said.
“You’re lucky it’s just a hunk of metal,” I teased.
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“You look good. You’re glowing,” Grandma said, eyeing me.
It was true. Pregnancy suited me, and I really felt like I was glowing.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
“It’s very good,” Grandma answered. “Looks like Mark’s treating you well,” she added.
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“I’m doing my best,” Mark said.
Dad came into the kitchen, carrying a tray of burgers.
“Are you guys still going to take forever? I’ve got everything ready,” he said.
“We’re ready too, don’t nag,” Grandma replied.
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We all headed to the backyard to start dinner. Everything looked delicious, and I didn’t even know where to begin. We chatted about everyday things, reminiscing about old stories.
“Why are you only drinking water?” Grandma asked, eyeing me closely.
“Uh…” Mark and I exchanged glances. He nodded and took my hand. “We’ve got some news for you,” I began, but I was interrupted.
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“Hey, family! Can someone let me in?” someone shouted from the road.
I turned and saw Kate peeking through the fence. What was she doing here?!
In fact, the last time Kate and I saw each other was about five years ago when she stole a large sum of money from me.
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After that, she didn’t speak to me, didn’t answer my calls or texts, and didn’t show up for holidays.
I ran into her again at the hospital when I was getting an ultrasound, but she acted like she didn’t know me and just walked past. What was she doing here now? Coming to steal more money?
Mom opened the gate for her, and Kate sat down at the table.
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“So, how’s everyone doing?” she asked.
“Why haven’t you shown up in all these years?” Grandma asked, clearly upset.
“What difference does it make? The important thing is I’m here now,” Kate said. “And I’ve got some news—I’m pregnant,” she announced happily.
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Everyone immediately forgot about the past and rushed to congratulate and hug Kate.
Except for Mark and me. We exchanged awkward glances. I knew my sister, and something was off. Kate wasn’t the type to share news with the family; she was hiding something.
“And how far along are you?” I asked.
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“Five months already,” Kate replied.
“Your belly looks awfully small for five months,” I said.
“It happens. Mom was the same when she was pregnant with me,” Kate quickly retorted.
“That’s true,” Mom added.
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Everyone continued to chat excitedly with Kate about her pregnancy. She said she had a fiancé, they loved each other, and she’d introduce him to everyone soon.
When their enthusiasm for Kate’s pregnancy cooled a bit, Mark and I decided to share our news.
“So, what I didn’t manage to say earlier because Kate interrupted me: Mark and I are expecting a baby too,” I announced happily.
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“Oh my God, that’s wonderful! I’ll have two grandkids almost at the same time!” Mom screamed. She and Dad hugged me, and then Grandma did too.
Kate sat there with a frown on her face, as though something bothered her.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
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“It’s just weird,” Kate said. “As soon as I tell you I’m pregnant, you turn out to be pregnant too.”
“Are you kidding? You think I’m lying?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe you just want Grandma’s inheritance,” Kate said.
“Are you joking? Grandma’s literally sitting right here,” I snapped.
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“I just don’t really believe it,” Kate said.
“Well, should I take a test? Or show you the ultrasound pics?” I asked.
I dug through my bag to pull out the photos I’d brought specifically to show everyone, but they were gone. No matter how much I searched, they just disappeared.
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“Maybe they’re in the car?” Mark suggested.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“I’ll go check,” he said, standing up from the table.
“I can show you mine,” Kate said, pulling out ultrasound pictures from her bag. Too familiar pictures.
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“Are you messing with me?!” I screamed. “These are my pictures!”
“I know you hate it when all the attention’s not on you, but, God, Jane, accusing me of stealing your pictures is too much,” Kate said.
“But it’s true!” I shouted.
“Jane, that’s really not nice,” Mom said.
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“Do you believe her?” I demanded.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Mom asked.
“Because she’s lying! It’s obvious! It’s Kate!” I screamed, and when I looked at Kate, I saw her start crying.
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“Now she’s putting on a show,” I said.
“How can you talk about me like that? I’m your sister!” Kate said.
Mom hugged her. “Okay, okay. Jane, apologize to Kate. She’s pregnant, she shouldn’t be stressed out.”
“I’m pregnant too, you know!” I shouted.
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“Now I think Kate might be right, and you just want to draw attention to yourself,” Dad said.
“And you too?” I asked.
“There are no pictures in the car. You must have forgotten them,” Mark said, returning to the table.
“Mark, they don’t believe we’re expecting a baby,” I said.
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“What? But it’s true! We just forgot the pictures at home,” Mark said.
“We didn’t forget them at home, Kate stole them!” I screamed, and Kate started crying even harder.
“Jane, I think you need to take a walk and calm down,” Mom said.
I growled in frustration and went on the street. Mark ran after me.
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“I really want to walk, because if I don’t, I’ll punch Kate,” I told him.
“Don’t stress too much. Think about the baby,” Mark said.
“They don’t believe I’m pregnant! But they believe Kate, even though I’m almost sure she’s lying about being pregnant,” I said.
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“Why do you think that?” Mark asked.
“Why else would she steal my ultrasound pictures?” I asked.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Mark asked.
“No, I want to walk alone,” I replied and walked off.
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I didn’t walk for long because I started getting tired quickly during pregnancy, so I went back to Grandma’s house.
When I went into the bathroom to wash my hands, I saw Kate taking some pills.
“What are you taking?” I asked.
“Retinoids. The dermatologist prescribed them,” Kate said.
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And there it was. She’d been caught.
“I see. Why are you lying about being pregnant?” I asked.
“I’m not lying,” Kate replied.
“We both know those were my pictures. You do realize you won’t get the inheritance from Grandma while she’s alive, right?” I asked.
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“I’ll just say I need the money for the baby. I’m sure she’ll give it to me,” Kate said.
“What will you do when the 9 months are up? Steal a baby?” I asked.
“Well, accidents happen. The baby might not be born,” Kate said.
“I can’t believe what you’re willing to do for money. You did all this because you saw me at the hospital and realized my baby’s getting Grandma’s inheritance?”
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“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kate said and walked out of the bathroom.
I didn’t stay long in there and returned to the table. Kate and Mom were already discussing what color to paint the nursery. I rolled my eyes.
“It’s time to start the fireworks!” Dad yelled and went to prepare them.
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We all stood up from the table for a better view.
“Kate, remind me what pills you’re taking?” I asked, grinning.
“Retinoids. What, is your memory that bad?” Kate answered mockingly.
I saw panic on Mom’s and Grandma’s faces.
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“What are you doing? You can’t take those!” Mom shouted, terrified.
“Why not?” Kate asked, completely clueless.
“They’re forbidden for pregnant women!” Grandma yelled.
“Where did you hear that?” Kate asked.
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“Because it’s true! You’re not supposed to take them a year before pregnancy. Didn’t your doctor tell you?” Mom asked.
“No one told me anything,” Kate mumbled.
“Because she’s not pregnant. That’s why she didn’t know,” I said.
“When are you going to stop stealing all the attention?” Kate screamed.
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“Let’s take a test then. I think I have one in the car,” I said.
“I’m not doing anything just to prove something to you,” Kate snapped.
“Why not? You don’t believe I’m pregnant, just like everyone else. Let’s take the test,” I said.
“I’m not doing anything!” Kate screamed.
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“Why, are you scared?” I asked.
“I don’t want to. God, you’re driving me crazy. I need a drink,” Kate said.
“A drink? You’re pregnant,” Grandma said.
“Kate, were you lying to us?” Mom asked.
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Kate hesitated, looking at both Mom and Grandma. She had dug her own grave. I didn’t even have to try hard.
“Why should the whole inheritance go to Jane’s baby?” Kate screamed.
“Is that what you care about? My money? You know, I was going to rewrite my will today and divide everything between both of your kids, but because of your audacity, I’m not doing it. Want to take my money while I’m still alive?” Grandma screamed.
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At that moment, the fireworks started shooting into the sky. Kate looked terrified as she stared at everyone, then screamed, “I hate this family!” and stormed off.
We watched her walk away under the fireworks in the sky, and I just felt relief that I had finally revealed the truth.
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