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“Wow. Does Mom know you eat the ice cream straight out of the tub?” Alina paused at the entrance to the kitchen as she noticed her sister hovering over a gallon-sized ice cream container.
“You think I’d still be alive if she did?” Casey said, shoving a spoonful into her mouth. “You better not tell her.” She said, pointing her spoon at her sister.
Alina put up her hands defensively. “I wouldn’t dare.”
After taking a spoon from the drawer, Alina joined her sister in the forbidden task.
“I’m proud of you, sis.” Alina’s head was tilted at her sister’s words, a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “Mom might not be proud of you, but I am.” Casey smiled. “You do what you love and excel at it. I’m jealous of that.”
Alina scoffed, almost pitching ice cream in all directions. “You’re jealous of me? Casey, you’ve been all over the world.” Her voice became high-pitched. “You’ve experienced so many things and seen so many places. I’m jealous of you.”
Casey licked the back of her spoon and kept it in her hand. “Well, maybe we should exchange lives for a while.”
“You wouldn’t want mine right now,” Alina sighed. “It’s a complete mess.”
Casey widened her eyes at her sister. “Oh, come on, you just had a successful art exhibition and you’ve got a super-rich, successful and handsome boyfriend. What more do you want?”
Alina took a deep breath. Other than Taylor, nobody else knew what she was going through. She put her attention to the ice cream, scraping along the sides of the tub but not filling her mouth. “The job, I have. The boyfriend, I don’t.”
Casey’s jaw dropped as her eyes opened wide. “Why? What happened? You too were so much in love.”
“I broke up with him after meeting a woman who claimed to be with him.” She kept her eyes averted from her sister.
“Oh, Alina,” Casey cooed. “Women sometimes tell lies to destroy things with your man.”
“It wasn’t just that,” Alina defended. “He’s been absent a lot lately. Not only physically. Even when he is with me, his mind is not.” Alina rest the spoon on the counter, soiling it with the sweet treat, and leaned her back against the counter. “He’s always late and making excuses.” She breathed out hard. “He was even late for the only day of my exhibition he could attend. If he would’ve been so late a few minutes later, he would have missed it completely.” She shook her head. “And that woman she told me exactly what he wore that night. And she was also there on an outing with his friends. I know it could have been coincidental since they work together, but she knows his sister. She said she even had lunch with them.”
Casey’s eyebrows raised. “Dina? The sister who thinks you’re not good enough for her brother?”
Alina took a sharp breath. “Yep. That’s the one.” She folded her hands and shifted her weight onto one foot. “I wouldn’t even be surprised if she set it up. And she was talking about us starting over.” Alina grabbed her hair. “How could I have been that stupid?”
“It isn’t your fault, Alina.” Casey stopped her sister from tugging at her hair. “She seems like a master manipulator. Don’t forget, she makes a living from being a fierce businesswoman.” Casey shook her head. “Still, I’m surprised. I expected you to fight to the end for Dereck.”
Alina leaned on the counter once again. “I guess I’m tired of always having to prove that I am worthy.”
“Do you still love him?” Casey was watching her sister’s expressions intently, so Alina tried to remain as unemotional as possible.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t.” She breathed out hard again. “I am very much in love with Dereck, but I can’t keep going like this. I don’t have myself alone to think about anymore.”
Casey scoffed. “What? You got a dog?”
Alina shook her head; Casey made another suggestion. “A cat?”
Alina shook her head again and Casey went down in a low tone. “Don’t tell me it’s a hamster. Those things are essentially rodents.”
“I didn’t get a pet, Casey.” At this rate, Casey would spend the entire night guessing and she still wouldn’t get it right.
Her sister was getting slightly agitated, though. “What did you get then?”
Alina remained silent but brought her hand to her stomach. At first, Casey sported a frown and a furrowed eyebrow, but then her eyes became wide and her mouth flew open. “You’re pregnant,” she blurted, and Alina blocked her sister’s mouth. “What are you trying to do, announce it to the world? Mom and Dad don’t know, so keep it to yourself, OK?”
Casey motioned as if she was zipping her lips. “Alina, what are you going to do? Mom is going to flip when she finds out.”
“Tell me about it,” Alina sighed. “If it disappointed her when I didn’t go to medical school, imagine what will happen when I tell her I am going to be a single mom.”
“You’re right. Mom is going to have a heart attack,” Casey said, stuffing her mouth with ice cream again. “Don’t tell her.”
Alina waved her hand. “So, what I’m I supposed to do, hide my belly and when the child comes, hide the child?”
