Everything was perfect until she returned.
“What are you doing here?” Emily nearly drops her coffee cup, startled to see the familiar figure standing in her doorway.
“Hey, sister,” Alice smiles, flipping back a long strand of hair from her face. “Miss me?”
“You… you’re in America,” Emily stammers, her hands trembling. “Eight years ago you left and said you’d never…”
“Plans change,” Alice shrugs, stepping past her into the hallway. “Can I come in, or are you going to keep me hanging?”
Emily steps aside. Eight years. Eight years of quiet stability, a settled life, a routine. Alice scans the apartment they once shared.
“Nice place,” she nods, eyeing the new furniture. “Remember when we used to dream about peeling those floral wallpaper in the hallway?”
“I remember,” Emily whispers, still dazed. “Alice, what’s going on? Why are you here?”
“Can’t a sister visit?” Alice tosses her coat over the couch and walks to the window. “The view’s still the same. All the same terraced houses, the playground across the street.”
Emily sets her cup down. Her hands still shake. Alice looks almost the same as eight years ago—her hair longer, a weariness in her eyes.
“Are you married?” Alice asks, noticing Emily’s wedding ring.
“Yes,” Emily instinctively covers her hand. “To Oliver. You remember? My old schoolmate.”
“Oliver Thompson?” Alice raises an eyebrow. “The one who used to write poetry for you?”
“The same.”
“And children?”
“A daughter. Grace. She’s six.”
Alice nods, but something shifts in her gaze. Emily knows that look from childhood—the one that came when things started unraveling.
“Where is she?”
“At nursery. Oliver will pick her up soon. They’re going to the park.”
“What a picture of domestic bliss,” Alice mutters, her usual irony slipping through. “A family, a child, stability. Exactly what we used to dream of.”
“Alice,” Emily steps closer, “will you tell me what’s going on? Why did you come back?”
Alice turns from the window, hesitation flickering in her eyes before vanishing.
“Life in the States didn’t pan out. My business tanked, my visa expired. Long story short—I needed a place to land.”
“Forever?”
“Not sure yet.”
Emily feels a contraction beneath her ribs. She remembers what happens when Alice is close. The way she once tore everything apart with her presence alone.
“Where are you staying?”
“Nowhere. Yet,” Alice says, the old smile returning, the one that always meant a favor was coming. “Thought maybe I could crash at yours for a few days?”
“Alice, I…” Emily hesitates. “Our apartment is small, and Grace…”
“I’ll sleep on the couch. You won’t even notice me.”
Emily knows she should say no. Every instinct screams danger. But this is her sister. The only family left after their parents died.
“Okay,” she sighs. “But just for a few days.”
“Thanks, Em,” Alice hugs her, and for a moment, it’s 2007 again. The two sisters who once had everything.
Oliver returns home with Grace in the evening. Emily has warned him, but she sees his tension as he lays eyes on Alice.
“Hello, Oliver,” Alice says, flipping through a magazine on the couch. “Long time no see.”
“Oliver,” he nods stiffly. “How’s life in America?”
“Been better,” she smiles. “And you? Still so serious, I see.”
Grace clings to Oliver, eyeing the stranger.
“Who’s this?” the child asks.
“This is Aunt Alice,” Emily says, sitting beside her daughter. “My sister.”
“Wait, you have a sister?” Grace frowns. “Why’ve I never seen her?”
“Aunt Alice has been living far away. Now she’s visiting,” Emily explains.
Alice kneels to Grace’s level.
“Hi, Grace. You’re just like your mother. Beautiful, inside out.”
Grace beams, shyly touching her hair.
“Are you really related to Mum? You don’t look like her.”
“Really,” Alice laughs. “Your mum is the most gorgeous one in the family, always was.”
Dinner is quiet. Oliver responds to Alice’s questions in short tones, while Emily struggles to bridge the silence.
” Daddy, can we go to the circus tomorrow?” Grace asks, finishing her soup.
“Of course, sunshine,” Oliver smiles, his face relaxing. “Like we planned.”
“Can Aunt Alice come?” Grace turns to Alice.
“If she wants to,” Emily glances at her sister.
“Absolutely,” Alice says, nodding. “Been ages since I last saw a show.”
After dinner, Oliver helps Emily with the dishes.
“How long is she here for?” he whispers.
“Just a few days.”
“Emily,” he rests a hand on her shoulder, “do you remember what happened when…”
“I do,” she cuts in. “But she’s my sister. I can’t just throw her out.”
“I know. But think of Grace.”
“Grace has nothing to do with this.”
“Emily, she’s a child. Children sense things.”
The room echoes with laughter. Emily peeks out and sees Alice performing magic tricks with coins for Grace, making the girl squeal with delight.
“Look! The coin disappeared! Now it’s behind your ear!” Alice says.
Grace claps, begging for more. Emily watches, half-convinced everything will be fine. Maybe Alice has changed.
The next day they go to the circus. Grace is enchanted by the acrobats, while Alice buys her cotton candy and balloons. Oliver relaxes, even laughing at her jokes.
“Do you remember,” Alice says over dinner, “when we used to dream of being circus performers? You wanted to be a gymnast, I wanted to train lions.”
“I remember,” Emily smiles. “You said the lions followed you because you were brave.”
“I still am,” Alice winks.
“What’s brave?” Grace asks.
“When you do what you want, even if others say it’s dangerous or wrong,” Alice explains.
Emily frowns slightly. Something in her tone unsettles her.
“Bravery is good,” Oliver jumps in. “But it’s also important to think about the consequences.”
“Alice always has been more daring,” Alice laughs, and there’s a hint of mockery in her voice. “Right, Emily?”
“Caution isn’t a bad thing,” Emily defends.
“Of course not,” Alice shrugs. “But sometimes it stops people from living.”
Later, as Grace sleeps and Oliver is in the shower, the sisters are alone.
“You’ve done well for yourself,” Alice says, studying family photos on the shelf. “Quiet, safe, predictable.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. But… boring, I suppose.”
“I’m not bored.”
“Are you really?” Alice turns to her. “Remember when we dreamed of traveling the world? You wanted Paris, I wanted Manhattan.”
“Dreams change.”
“Or are forced to change,” Alice sits beside her. “Emily, are you happy?”
“Of course.”
“Never wonder what your life would be like if you hadn’t married so young, if you’d waited to have a child?”
“Alice, do you have a point here?”
“No point. Just curiosity.”
Emily senses a trap, but can’t put her finger on it.
“I love my family,” she says.
“But love and habit are different things,” Alice sighs. “Don’t you ever feel it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” Alice yawns. “Tired from the trip. I’ll sleep now.”
In the coming days, Alice slips into their life like a shadow. She plays with Grace, helps with chores, even makes breakfast. Oliver gradually stops tensing at her presence.
But Emily feels it—something wrong. Too often, Alice watches them, asking about Oliver’s work, their future plans.
“How much does Oliver earn?” Alice asks over breakfast one morning.
“Enough for us,” Emily replies.
“What does he do exactly?”
“He’s a sales manager. Alice, why?”
“Just curious. Seems like someone popular. Clients must love him.”
Emily leaves the comment hanging.
That evening, Oliver arrives late.
“Sorry, love,” he kisses Emily. “Meeting ran over.”
“It’s fine,” she smiles. “Alice and I made dinner.”
Dinner is lively. Alice talks to Oliver, listens intently to his stories, laughing warmly. Emily watches, a chill spreading through her. She recognizes this Alice—the one who once stole her fiancé in front of the altar.
“Oliver, can you give me a lift into town tomorrow?” Alice asks. “I need to take some documents to the bank, and taxis are too clumsy.”
“Sure. What time?”
“Eleven, if that works.”
“Pleasure,” Oliver says. “You’re very kind.”
Emily clenches her jaw. She knows that tone. She heard it when Alice thanked her ex-fiancé.
That night, sleep eludes Emily. Oliver’s snoring is steady, but her thoughts run fast. Has Alice come back to play the same game?
She wakes early, finding Alice on the kitchen table with coffee.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
“Always up early,” Emily fills a glass with water.
“Emily, you okay? You’re tense.”
“I’m fine.”
“Sure? Because I feel like I’m drawing the wrong eye.”
“Why would you?”
“Maybe because I haven’t been here in years? Or because I showed up unannounced?”
Emily stays silent.
“Emily,” Alice stands, approaching her. “I know what I did eight years ago. What I did with Denis…”
“Don’t,” Emily interrupts. “It’s in the past.”
“But you haven’t forgotten.”
“I have.”
“Then why do you look at me like I’m the enemy?”
Emily turns to face her. “Because I remember what you’re capable of.”
Alice’s eyes harden. “And I remember what you’re not.”
The sisters stand in silence, tension thick between them.
“I’ve changed, Emily,” Alice finally says.
“Have you? What did you learn in those eight years?”
“That happiness can’t be stolen. That what’s not yours will never be yours.”
Emily wants to believe it, but her gut warns otherwise.
“Alice,” she whispers, “I beg you. Don’t destroy this. I have a family, Grace…”
“Think I want to take your husband?” Alice laughs bitterly. “I’m forty-two. I’m over chasing men I don’t love. I just want a home, a place in this world.”
“Then find one. Not here.”
“Where else? You’re all I have.”
Oliver walks in, wrapped in a robe.
“Morning, ladies,” he yawns. “What’s up so early?”
“Just chatting,” Alice changes her tone instantly. “Oliver, did we forget the bank run?”
“Eleven. Of course.”
Emily watches Alice smile at her husband, her heart tightening. She knows that smile. The one that precedes a storm.
All day she waits, tense, until their return. Oliver calls around three, saying he’ll be late—Alice asked him to help with some shopping.
“She can’t drive,” he explains. “Too many packages for a bus.”
“Okay,” she says, though her insides boil.
When they return, Oliver is in high spirits, Alice particularly charming.
“Thank you so much,” Alice says, unpacking her bags. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” he waves off. “By the way, she actually helped me pick out a new phone. She knows her gadgets.”
“Took some time learning in America,” Alice explains.
At dinner, she entertains them with stories of her life abroad. Oliver listens, fascinated.
“Why did you come back?” he asks. “If it was so exciting there?”
“Missed home. Missed family,” she replies. “A person can’t stay away forever.”
“What about plans? Will you stay here?”
“Don’t know yet. Depends.”
Emily locks eyes with her sister and knows—this is a game again. A plan.
That night, Emily lies awake as Oliver sleeps. She listens to his breathing, wondering if it’s changed. It has. He laughs more, smiles, even sings in the shower. A breath of fresh air in his mundane world.
Emily understands she’s losing. Alice is doing what she does best—charming. And worse, Oliver hasn’t noticed the nets being woven around him.
The next morning, Emily makes a decision. She waits until Oliver is at work, drops Grace at nursery, and returns home.
“We need to talk,” she says to Alice, who’s sipping coffee and flipping through a magazine.
“About?”
“You know what. Stop pretending.”
“I don’t understand,” Alice says.
“Alice, I’m begging you. Leave. Find another life, another man. Stay away from my family.”
“My family?” Alice laughs coldly. “Since when does being ‘yours’ make them mine?”
“I see the way you look at Oliver. I know that look.”
“It’s just friendship,” Alice smiles. “You’re imagining things.”
“I’m not. I know you better than you think.”
Alice closes the magazine and meets her gaze.
“Fine,” she says calmly. “Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say I like Oliver. What then?”
“What do you mean, what then?” Emily stumbles. “He’s my husband!”
“Is he?” Alice smirks. “Does he know you consider him your ‘property’?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Then what did you mean?” Alice paces. “That a man is a thing to be possessed? That a ring makes him yours forever?”
“We love each other!”
“Really? Then why the fear?” Alice stops, staring at her. “Do you even know why you’re scared?”
Emily stammers, caught in the question.
“I’ve learned this week,” Alice continues. “Oliver is unhappy. A kind man, responsible, but deeply unhappy. He’s living a life that’s not his.”
“That’s not true!”
“Tell me that to his face. The next time he comes home with dinner late again, pretending it’s a meeting.”
“Leave. Now,” Emily whispers.
“I won’t,” Alice says mildly. “Because I have nowhere else to go. And because I’m tired of running.”
“Then I’ll tell Oliver the truth. About why you came back.”
“Go ahead. But first, ask yourself one question honestly: what if he chooses me?”
Emily looks at Alice and knows the war has begun. And it will end with the strongest survivor.
