I smiled. That practiced, empty smile I’d been perfecting for months without even realizing it. “Let’s keep opening gifts,” I said, my voice as steady as glass. But inside, something fundamental shifted. Not broke, not yet, but cracked, like ice under too much weight.

Marcus returned his attention to his phone. The guests exchanged careful glances, the kind that silently acknowledge a shared, uncomfortable secret. My sister, Sarah, caught my eye from across the room, her jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping beneath her skin.