nikki almost laughed at the question. when did you stop trusting me? as if trust was something that vanished overnight. as if kelly hadn’t noticed the cracks forming long before nikki finally stopped pretending everything was fine. for years, nikki had been the one expected to understand, forgive, and keep the peace. she had smiled through the criticism, swallowed her frustrations, and played the role everyone wanted her to play — the loyal sister, the bigger person, the one who never let things get ugly. but somewhere along the way, she realized something: being the person who always gives doesn’t mean people appreciate you. sometimes, it just means they expect more from you. and that was the part nikki couldn’t forget. she remembered every time she felt overlooked. every time her choices were questioned. every time kelly assumed she knew what was best for nikki. the resentment had been there for a long time — buried under love, loyalty, and years of history. but buried things don’t disappear. they grow.
nikki looked at kelly, no longer trying to soften the truth. for once, she wasn’t going to apologize for feeling hurt. ❝ when did i stop trusting you? honestly, kelly… i think i stopped trusting you when i realized i was always the one fighting for us, and you were always the one deciding when i was worth fighting for. ❞ the words came out calmly, but they carried years of disappointment behind them. nikki watched kelly’s reaction, noticing the shift in her face, but she didn’t back down. for so long, she had softened her words to protect everyone else. this time, she needed to protect herself. ❝ i spent so much time trying to prove that i was there for you, trying to be the sister you needed, but i started wondering who was there for me. and every time i ignored that feeling, every time i told myself it wasn’t a big deal, it just built up. ❞ her gaze dropped for a moment, and she shook her head slightly as if disappointed in herself for ignoring that question for so long. ❝ the truth is, i didn’t lose trust in you because of one mistake. i lost trust because i started seeing a pattern. i started realizing that you loved me, but sometimes you only loved the version of me that made things easier for you. and maybe that sounds harsh. maybe you don’t want to hear it. but i’m done pretending everything is okay just because we’re family. family doesn’t get a free pass to hurt each other. ❞
