This photo was taken only ten minutes before my mother pulled me aside and whispered, “If your sister finds out who just contacted her, everything in this family could change.” At first, I thought she was being dramatic… until I saw a name on Emily’s phone that no one in our house had dared to mention for years. ????????
My name is Lauren, and Emily is my younger sister.
Growing up, there was one thing about our family that never made sense to me.
Emily and I were born two years apart, yet every year our mother, Susan, insisted that we celebrate our birthdays on the exact same day.
Two cakes. Two sets of candles. One celebration.
When I was little, I once asked her why.
Mom’s smile disappeared for just a second.
“Because that was the day you two became sisters,” she said.
I didn’t understand what she meant.
Whenever I asked again, she changed the subject.
Years passed, and eventually I stopped asking.
But recently, Mom started acting strangely.
Whenever Emily talked about our childhood, Mom became quiet. When I asked where our old birth certificates were, she claimed they had disappeared during a move.
