Shattered Restraints
Ava's POV
She’s my sister.
The words landed in the middle of my living room like a glass dropped on tile. They shattered into a dozen small questions I hadn’t formed yet, and every piece was cut. I felt stupid for the tears that came hot and fast, for the way my throat tightened like a fist. I sat there on the armchair, the folder still on the side table where I’d dropped it, and watched Nathaniel as if the next thing he did would explain everything.
He didn’t hesitate. He reached for his phone and handed it to me with both hands, like the small device could carry the truth between us. The screen brightened, and there they were: a thread of family images, casual and loud and ordinary. Sophie at graduation, her mortarboard tipped so she was mid-laugh; Sophie with a
