“I’m happy to admit my part. But the truth is, you never give me a chance to be the kind of sister I want to be. Your jealousy and impulsive behaviour are hurtful. You need to take responsibility for the things you’ve done. I can’t forgive you until you do that. I can’t move on.”
Tears glistened in Emily’s eyes. Her cheeks grew bright red. “You always blame me.”
Evie’s rage returned like a fire in her belly. “Because it’s your fault!”
“It’s not just me, Evie. You…”
“No, itisjust you, Em. I didn’t contribute to any of it. Yes, maybe I took Gareth for granted. Maybe I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. Maybe I sometimes rubbed things in your face. But these are normal relationship things. They’re not the same as betraying your only sister and stealing her long-term boyfriend.”
Evie retreated to the back veranda, she sat in a rocking chair and gazed over the garden. A fly buzzed around Evie’s nose, and she swatted it away. Bees hummed around the flowers. The heat pushed up against her as if attempting to bully her back into the house. She drew deep breaths to calm the rage that made her want to scream and cry, to stamp and yell. There was no point. It was all in the past. Nothing to be done about any of it.
Emily stepped through the back door, her nose and eyes reddened. “Is that how you feel about me?” She sat in the rocking chair beside Evie’s.
Evie’s head throbbed and her throat ached. If only her sister would hear her words for the first time and realise what she’d done. “Yes, it’s how I feel. Finally. It’s taken me this long to express it, but I can’t keep it to myself any longer. You’re in my house, accepting my help and hospitality. I’m not going to be your doormat any longer. You say you’re sorry, or you can leave. For good.”
Emily blinked. “I’m sorry. You know I am.”
“You’ve never told me that,” Evie replied, her eyes brimming with tears. “Not once in all these years.”
Emily faced her with a sob. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have pursued Gareth, not while you were in a relationship with him. I’ve had to live with that mistake for most of my life. I couldn’t walk away from him because I felt so guilty about taking him from you. I went through with a wedding I didn’t want and raised a family with a man I knew didn’t love me.”
“Why didhego through with it?” Evie asked. She’d always wondered this, but they’d never been able to have an honest conversation without shouting words of condemnation and acrimony.
“I think he felt guilty as well. Looking back, I can see that he knew early on he’d made a mistake. But he couldn’t undo it, didn’t know how to make it right. He took to drinking soon after we were married, and it’s only gotten worse over the years.”
“That must be hard on you,” Evie replied, her voice soft. The emotion that’d built up, like a row of bricks on her shoulders that she’d carried around for so long, began to fall away.
Emily nodded. “I don’t know what to do. I thought dating David might help, but all it did was made me feel worse.”
“Dating another man is definitely not the way to work out your marriage problems. Especially when it’s basically repeating the same mistake over again. You knew I liked him and that he liked me. Yet you stepped in between us, just like you did with Gareth.”
Emily pressed both hands to her face and sobbed, her body shaking. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I act like this. Truly, I don’t. I’ve ruined everything.”
Evie breathed in deep, inhaling the comforting scent of summer in the air. “It seems both of us have missed out on a wonderful sisterly relationship all these years because of some big mistakes. I hope we’re able to put it all behind us and move forward.”
“I hope so too. Can you ever forgive me?”
Evie searched within herself for the answer. The pain in her heart was gone, and the burden on her shoulders had toppled. She felt light—empty, but otherwise good. “Yes, I can finally forgive you. But you’ve got to stop repeating the same mistakes.”
Emily wiped her nose again. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her neck blotchy. “I want to be different. I really do.”
“Then you’ve got to go home and talk to Gareth.”
Emily nodded. “I know.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but he does love you. It might not seem like it sometimes, but he does. He’s your husband and he chose you. You need to treat him right, and communicate. He was never good at talking. He’s flawed, but he still deserves better than the way you’ve treated him.”
Emily sighed. “Yes, you’re right. I’ve felt so guilty about what I did to you that I didn’t fight for our marriage. Not really.”
Evie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “You were young and stupid. I don’t envy your marriage—not anymore. I haven’t for years.”
“Will we ever move past this?” Emily asked, her gaze searching Evie’s face. “Please, I don’t have anyone. You’re my family.”
Emily was always so dramatic. She couldn’t see the good things in front of her. “You’re not alone. You’ve got me, our parents, your sons and your husband.”
“I don’t have Gareth. Not anymore. I’ve ruined what we had.”
“You need to forgive yourself and go back to Gareth, if you still care about your marriage — talk to him. Work things out.”
