Then she started picking at the details.
“Anna,” she said, eyeing the dinner plates, “didn’t you want to upgrade these? They look a little… basic.”
She gave a loud sigh. “Well, standards change, I suppose.”
Mark sent me a quiet, apologetic look. He’d already asked his sister to help keep the peace this year, but clearly, that request hadn’t stuck.
By dessert, the criticism had shifted from decorations to seating, from food to drink—and then, suddenly, to Lily.
She leaned forward with exaggerated sweetness. “You look tired, sweetheart. Everything okay? School going alright?”
Her tone made my stomach tighten.
Lily stiffened. “I’m fine.”
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