“All Because of You”
“Mum, Dad, get the spare room ready. Im coming home. With my son.”
Nina didnt askshe didnt even inform them. She spoke in a commanding tone. Mum froze, staring at her phone in shock, while Dad set his fork down, his appetite gone.
Her older sister, Emily, felt a familiar chill run down her spine. She knew instantly this wouldnt be a pleasant conversationafter all, Nina hadnt spoken to the family in three years. But Emily never imagined Nina would lead with *this*.
“No,” Dad said sharply, his voice firm. “Theres no room for you here. You made your choicesnow you deal with them.”
“Oh, come on! Youre seriously telling me theres nowhere to put us? Emily can clear out her roomshes single, its easier for her. Or stick a sofa in the kitchen for her. What, are you too stingy?”
Emilys breath caught. Shed grown used to Ninas selfishness over the years, but it never got easier.
Despite Dads refusal, Emilys mind was already racing, mentally preparing to find somewhere else to live. It was always like this: Nina acted like the world owed her, pushed until she got her way, andsomehowalways did. Emily, though she was quiet, reserved, the type to avoid conflict. It was easier to give in.
And Nina took full advantage.
“Nina, love we just cant,” Mum said gently. “Were still paying off your university loans. And its not like we *want* Emily living with usshe helps us financially, even though she doesnt have to. We cant handle you and a baby on top of that.”
“So you dont care what happens to your own daughter and grandson?!” Nina shrieked. “Are you even human?!”
“Nina. Enough.” Dads voice was cold. “I wont be spoken to like that.” Then he ended the call.
Mum sighed, murmuring that he shouldnt have been so harsh, but her resigned expression said she agreed. The rest of the evening passed in tense silence.
Emily remembered how it all began. In their family, it was always the same: either Nina got what she wanted *now*, or shed make sure no one had peace.
Emily was six years older. Their parents loved both of them, but Nina had always been spoiled just a little more. Partly because Mum and Dad thought theyd learned better parenting by then. Partly because, when Emily was little, money had been tight. Even when things improved, Emily stayed modestnever demanding expensive gifts, never wanting to burden them.
Nina, though? She made up for lost time.
Her first real tantrum came at ten, when she decided she *had* to have a puppynot just any puppy, a *golden retriever*. Big, high-maintenance, completely impractical for their tiny house. But Nina wouldnt listen.
“If you dont get me one, IllIll *hurt* myself!” she threatened.
That terrified themespecially Mum. After days of resistance, they caved. And guess who ended up walking and feeding the dog? Mum and Emily. Nina was always “too busy.”
The same happened with a *Harry Potter* summer camp Lottie from school was going to. Four days£600.
“Lotties going! Why cant I? If you dont let me, Ill *run away*!” she cried, arms crossed.
“Then run,” Dad snapped.
They still paid. Easier than dealing with her tantrums. But the easy path isnt always the right one.
By sixth form, Nina announced shed be moving to London for uniwith Lottie, of course.
“Im not rotting in this backwater,” she said.
Emily almost laughed. Nina wascharitablynot the brightest. Scholarships were a pipe dream, and even paid courses were competitive. The uni shed chosen was top-tier, and she had *one year* to prepare. Mission impossible.
But Emilys amusement didnt last.
“What, you want me to end up *uneducated*? You want me on the streets? Because thats where Ill be if you dont send me!” Nina ranted. “And itll be *your* fault!”
They werent made of stone. Within months, theyd hired tutorsand taken out loans. Dad aged five years that year. Mum lived on anxiety meds. Nina? Thriving.
She got in. And six months later, she bragged to Emily.
“Guess what? Ive moved in with my boyfriend. His parents are loadedproperty developers. They pay for *everything*. We eat sushi every night!”
Emily barely reacted. Great, she was datingbut that wasnt why theyd sent her to London.
“What about your degree?”
“Ugh, *typical*! Im living like a princess, and you”
“Okay. Enjoy it, then.”
Two months later, Ninas tone changedwhiny, jealous, desperate.
“He flirts with *everyone*! He barely looks at me! Buys me things, sure, but its like having a *pet*feed me, pat me, done. He texts other girls *right in front of me*!”
“Then leave him,” Emily said flatly.
“And lose a catch like *that*? He says its just fun, that Im his *real* girl. Hes loaded, Em. I might *never* have to work!”
Emily knew it wouldnt last. But arguing was pointless.
“Then stop complaining to me.”
Nina hung up. And didnt call againuntil second year, when she dropped the bomb.
“Im pregnant.”
Mum and Dad were speechless.
“Butyour degree?” Mum stammered. Theyd just taken out *more* loans for her tuition.
“Nah, Im dropping out. Not hauling a baby to lectures.”
Why would *she* care? Others had worked for it. Even Emily helped, though she hated how weak their parents were.
“Youre throwing your life away!” Dad roared. “We gave you *everything*!”
“And I *used* itjust not how *you* wanted.”
“He hasnt even *proposed*! What happens when he kicks you out?”
“Thats *my* problem. My life, my choice.” Click.
Three years of silence. Until now, when she needed something.
In the end, Nina found a landing spotGrandma Margaret, Dads mum. She took Nina in *and* took her side.
“Vincent, how *could* you? Your own daughter, with a baby!”
“That babys a stranger. When I tried to meet him, she shut me out. Now she wants *Emily* kicked outthe one paying our bills! Is *that* fair?”
“Shes your *blood*! Family comes first!”
“No, Mum. Family means *support*, not tantrums and blackmail.”
A month later, the complaints started. “Perfect” Nina demanded attention, ruled Grandmas house, and *still* vilified her parents for “abandoning” her.
Mum and Dad were tornguilty, hurt by the judgment. But for once, they didnt bend.
And Emily? For the first time, she felt *proud* of them.
