Sister's Sacrifice

Chapter 4

Ella’s eighteenth birthday was only two days away, and the house felt different—louder, brighter, and full of expectations. Her sister had been the first to bring it up that morning, reminding her that eighteen was not just any birthday. It was a milestone. A crossing into adulthood. A moment worth celebrating loudly.

“You should invite all your friends,” her sister said while arranging plates in the kitchen. “This one has to be special.”

Ella nodded, her phone already in her hand. She had invited some of her friends—those she felt closest to, the ones who made her laugh without trying too hard. Messages went out one after the other, filled with excitement and emojis. Every reply that came back made her smile wider. For a moment, everything felt perfect.

Yet beneath that excitement was something she refused to look at too closely.

Her sister noticed it first. The tiredness that clung to Ella even after long hours of sleep. The way she sometimes paused mid-sentence, distracted and distant. The mornings when she complained of nausea but brushed it off as stress or hunger. To Ella, they were small things—nothing serious, nothing worth worrying about. She had convinced herself that exams, late nights, and overthinking were the real cause.

But her sister was not convinced.

She watched Ella carefully, her concern growing quietly. There was a heaviness in her chest she could not explain, a fear she was scared to voice. Each time she tried to ask, Ella would laugh it away or change the topic, excitedly talking about decorations, music, and what dress she might wear.

“It’s just my birthday nerves,” Ella would say. “I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t really listening—to her body or to her sister.

As the day drew closer, preparations filled the house. Plans were made, lists were written, and laughter returned to the rooms. Ella immersed herself in the joy of it all, almost as if celebration could drown out everything else. She focused on who would come, what they would eat, and how unforgettable the day would be.

Her sister, however, stayed restless.

Late at night, when the house was quiet, she sat alone with her thoughts, replaying every sign she had noticed. She loved Ella too much to ignore them, yet she feared pushing too hard might drive her away. So she waited, hoping the truth would reveal itself before it was too late.

Ella stood on the edge of adulthood, unaware—or unwilling to be aware—of the changes already beginning within her. While she counted down to her eighteenth birthday with excitement, her sister counted down with worry, praying that whatever lay ahead would not shatter the joy of that day.

Ella suddenly remembered that she hasn't told her boyfriend Josh. She was so sad,she felt that winning his heart would be a bit difficult again because she forgot to tell him first. She summons courage to call him and he gave her a sweet reply.

Two days now feels like a lifetime.