Monica's company had been doing really well lately. When I showed up, her secretary told me I'd need to make an appointment if I wanted to see her.
I pointed at my own face. "You can't tell who I am? I'm your boss's older sister!"
The secretary gave me a once-over and said with dripping sarcasm, "Can't tell at all. People claiming to be Ms. Swanson's relatives show up here every single day. Why don't you come up with a better story and try again?"
I was already furious, so I decided to force my way in.
Ignoring the secretary's attempts to stop me, I charged past her and banged on Monica's office door.
"Monica! Get out here! Get out here right now!"
My sister opened the door and, the moment she saw me, her face filled with remorse. She ushered me inside, pouring tea and offering water.
"Marcia, I owe you an apology for what happened at the wedding. But it was Dad's wish. I had to follow through."
I swatted the teacup out of her hand. It shattered on the floor, tea splashing across the tiles. My voice came out cold as steel. "Drop the act. I think those envelopes are fake. You couldn't stand watching me be happy, so you came to ruin my wedding. Isn't that right?"
Monica's expression was all wide-eyed innocence. "Marcia, I really didn't—"
I thrust my hand out. "I don't want to hear it. Hand over every envelope Dad gave you. All of them."
My sister, who had been nothing but soft and yielding up to this point, suddenly turned immovable.
"I'll agree to anything you ask—except this. I promised Dad. No one gets to see what's inside those envelopes."
I wasn't about to indulge her. I lunged straight for the safe in the corner.
The most important things were always kept in a safe. Dad's envelopes had to be in there.
Monica threw herself in my path, and within seconds we were grappling with each other, stumbling into the desk, knocking files to the floor.
"Those are from Dad!" Monica shouted. "You can't touch them!"
And that sentence—from Dad—set something ablaze inside me.
"For you! Everything's always for you! The best of everything, handed straight to you! What about me? Am I not his daughter too?!"
"Stop throwing a tantrum in my office! Are you even really his daughter?!"
Monica's words hit me like a wall of ice. I went completely still.
"What did you just say?"
