The Sister Who Stole Everything

The rain fell heavily on the day Amara buried her mother. She stood beside the grave in a black dress, her hands trembling as she watched the coffin disappear beneath the earth. Everything felt unreal. Just three weeks earlier, her mother had been alive. She had been sitting in their small living room, complaining about Amara leaving her shoes in the hallway and laughing at Lisa’s terrible attempts at cooking. Now she was gone. Their father had died five years before. And now, their mother had followed him. Amara was twenty-four years old. Lisa was only sixteen. And suddenly, they had no one. Lisa stood beside her, crying uncontrollably. Her mascara had run down her cheeks, and her small body shook with every sob. Amara wrapped an arm around her. “I don’t want her to leave us,” Lisa cried. Amara swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “She’s not leaving us.” Lisa looked at her. “What do you mean?” Amara forced herself to smile. “She’ll always be with us.” It was a lie. At least, it felt like one. Because Amara could not feel her mother’s presence. All she could feel was emptiness. The kind of emptiness that entered your chest and made breathing painful. After the funeral, people slowly disappeared. Relatives returned to their homes. Neighbours stopped bringing food. Friends returned to their normal lives. Within a few days, the house became silent. Too silent. One night, Amara woke up and found Lisa sitting alone in their mother’s bedroom. She was holding one of their mother’s dresses. “Lisa?” Her younger sister quickly wiped her tears. “I couldn’t sleep.” Amara walked towards her. Neither of them spoke. Then Lisa suddenly threw herself into Amara’s arms. “What are we going to do now?” Amara held her tightly. She wanted to say she didn’t know. Because the truth was, she didn’t. She had just graduated from university. She had a small job that barely paid enough for her own expenses. Their rent was overdue. Lisa was still in secondary school. Their mother had left behind medical bills. Everything felt impossible. But Amara looked down at her frightened little sister and remembered something. A promise. A promise she had made to their mother a few days before she died. Her mother had been lying in the hospital bed, weak and pale. Amara had been sitting beside her. “Take care of Lisa,” her mother whispered. Amara immediately shook her head. “Mummy, don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine.” Her mother smiled weakly. “Amara.” “No.” “Listen to me.” Tears had filled Amara’s eyes. Her mother reached for her hand. “Lisa is still young. She can be stubborn. She can be careless. But she has a good heart.” Amara couldn’t speak. “Promise me,” her mother whispered. Amara held her mother’s hand tightly. “I promise.” “Promise me you’ll never abandon her.” “I promise.” Her mother closed her eyes. And three days later, she was gone. Now, standing in that empty bedroom with Lisa crying against her chest, Amara remembered every word. She tightened her arms around her sister. “We’ll be okay,” she whispered. Lisa pulled away. “How?” Amara looked around the room. She had no answer. But she knew one thing. She would not abandon Lisa. No matter what it cost her. “I’ll figure it out,” Amara said. And she meant it. She worked two jobs. During the day, she worked as an assistant in a small marketing company. At night, she served tables in a restaurant. She barely slept. Sometimes, she returned home after midnight with swollen feet and aching muscles. But every morning, she woke up before Lisa. She made breakfast. She checked Lisa’s school uniform. She attended parent meetings. She paid school fees. She became everything. A sister. A mother. A father. A provider. Lisa, however, was going through her own difficult period. She was angry at the world. She became rebellious. She skipped classes. She came home late. She argued with Amara constantly. “You’re not my mother!” Lisa screamed one evening. Amara froze. The words cut deeper than Lisa could understand. “I know I’m not your mother,” Amara replied quietly. “Then stop acting like one!” Amara stared at her. Lisa immediately regretted what she said. But pride stopped her from apologising. She grabbed her bag and walked towards her room. “Lisa.” Her sister stopped. Amara took a deep breath. “I know you’re hurting.” Lisa remained silent. “And I know losing Mummy changed everything.” Tears slowly appeared in Lisa’s eyes. “But I’m hurting too.” Lisa turned around. For the first time, she truly looked at her sister. Amara looked exhausted. There were dark circles beneath her eyes. Her hands were rough from working. She had lost weight. And suddenly, Lisa realised something. Amara was suffering too. Without saying anything, Lisa walked back towards her. Then she hugged her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Amara closed her eyes. “It’s okay.” “No,” Lisa cried. “You’ve given up everything because of me.” Amara gently touched her hair. “You’re my sister.” “But you had dreams.” “I still do.” “What if taking care of me stops you from achieving them?” Amara smiled. “Then I’ll achieve them later.” Lisa held her tighter. “I’ll make you proud one day.” Amara laughed softly. “You already make me proud.” Lisa pulled away and looked directly into her sister’s eyes. “No, Amara. I mean it.” She raised her hand. “I promise. One day, I’ll repay everything you’ve done for me.” Amara smiled. She believed her. She believed every word. Because Lisa was her little sister. Her family. The only person she had left in the world. Amara never imagined that years later, that same sister would stand in the middle of her bedroom… With the man Amara loved. And destroy everything.