My Mother Left Me Her House, but Only If I Let My Brother Move in – on Christmas Morning, Everything Finally Made Sense

No bottles.

I checked the bathroom. No pills.

I checked his pupils when he came home. Clear.

Still, I locked my door at night.

He tried, in his quiet way.

He fixed a leaking faucet.

Repaired a loose step on the porch. Helped Mia with homework. Showed Leo how to skip rocks.

He made them laugh.

I hated how good he was with them.

I hated that I didn’t trust it.

December came.

Our first Christmas without Mom.

I decorated mostly for the kids. The tree leaned a little. Half the lights didn’t work.

Whatever. They loved it.

Three days before Christmas, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door and saw a small brown package on the mat.

The return address made my chest tighten.

It was Mom’s name. In her careful handwriting.

I picked it up.

The box was light. My hands weren’t.

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