“How could you?!” shouted Emily, waving a crumpled document. “How could you sign this rubbish?”
Charlotte flinched, set down her teacup, and turned slowly to face her sister. There was no trace of regret on her face—only weariness.
“I signed it. So what?” She shrugged. “The house has to be sold anyway. You said so yourself.”
“I said so?!” Emily’s voice trembled with indignation. “I said we should decide together—together, Char! Not you sneaking behind my back, dealing with estate agents! And setting the price at half what it’s worth!”
“Not half—” Charlotte began, but Emily cut her off.
“Fine, two-thirds! Does it matter? It’s still a huge difference! Mum left this house to both of us—do you understand that? Both! But you just decided you were in charge!”
The kitchen fell silent. Only the old clock on the wall ticked away—the same one Mum had brought back from France years ago. Charlotte stood by the window, staring at the garden where she and Emily used to play hopscotch.
“Do you even realise what you’ve done?” Emily continued, quieter now. “My son’s starting university—I need the money. Your daughter’s getting married—you need it for the wedding! We both need this!”
“That’s exactly why I acted fast,” Charlotte turned back. “Buyers are interested now, while the area’s still sought-after. Wait too long, and no one will want it.”
“But we agreed!” Emily’s voice cracked. “You promised we’d decide together!”
“Agreements, promises…” Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. “Then you vanished for a week—no calls answered. Buyers won’t wait forever, Em. They’ve got options.”
Emily slumped into a chair, burying her face in her hands. The contract lay on the table, mocking her.
“I had to rush to Aunt Margaret’s,” she whispered. “She was ill, all alone. I told you—”
“You told me, you didn’t…” Charlotte sighed. “It’s done. We’ll get the money in a month, split it fifty-fifty, and that’s that.”
“That’s that?!” Emily jerked upright. “You think that’s all there is to it?”
Charlotte poured herself more tea, sitting opposite her sister with calm indifference.
“What else? The house sells, we split the money. Fair’s fair.”
“Fair?” Emily gave a bitter laugh. “Was it fair not to ask me? Not to wait for me?”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic!” Charlotte frowned. “It’s just a house. Neither of us was planning to live here.”
“Wasn’t I?!” Emily’s eyes flashed. “Who came every weekend? Who fixed the roof, dug the garden, helped the neighbours keep an eye on the place?”
“So what?” Charlotte shrugged. “You liked doing it. Meanwhile, I’ve been paying the bills for years.”
“The bills…” Emily walked to the window. “Char, do you even remember living here? How Mum raised us? The evenings we spent at this table doing homework?”
“Of course I remember,” Charlotte said flatly. “What’s your point?”
“My point?!” Emily spun around. “This is our past! Our childhood! And you’re selling it off to some stranger for pennies!”
“It’s not pennies—it’s market rate. And not a stranger, a family with kids. They need a home; we need money. Simple.”
Emily slowly picked up the contract, flipping through it. Her face paled.
“Char, what’s this clause?” She pointed mid-page. “It says the sole seller is Charlotte Anne Thompson. Where am I?”
Charlotte looked away.
“It’s… a technicality. They put it in my name because I’m local, and you’re in the countryside. Made it easier for the solicitor.”
“Easier for the solicitor?!” Emily’s voice broke into a shout. “Char, are you serious? The papers say the house is yours! So you’ll just hand me half out of the kindness of your heart?!”
“Stop shouting!” Charlotte hissed. “The neighbours will hear! I told you, it’s just paperwork.”
“Paperwork.” Emily sat heavily, breathing hard. “We’re sisters, Char. Same mother. How could you do this?”
“I haven’t done anything!” Charlotte snapped. “The house sells, I get the money, I share it. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is you don’t trust me!” Emily banged the table. “The problem is you made decisions for me! The problem is you think I’m an idiot!”
“I don’t!” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I’m just practical. Always have been.”
“Practical.” Emily gave a hollow laugh. “Remember when Mum was ill? Who visited the doctors? Who stayed at the hospital? Who bought her medicine?”
“And?” Charlotte pursed her lips. “I was working two jobs to pay for it all! You had free time—of course you could sit with her.”
“Free time?!” Emily shot up. “Char, I’d just lost my husband! He’d died! I was alone with a child, and I still went to Mum every day!”
“And I earned the money for her treatment!” Charlotte raised her voice. “While you played nurse, I was working myself to the bone!”
“Working…” Emily whispered. “Where were you when Mum died, Char? Remember?”
Charlotte fell silent, staring out the window.
“I was on a business trip. An important one.”
“A business trip!” Emily laughed, cold and ugly. “Mum kept calling for you. ‘Where’s Charlotte? Why isn’t Charlotte here?’”
“Stop,” Charlotte said quietly. “Don’t.”
“I have to!” Emily slammed the table. “You came home for the funeral—that’s it. Now you’re selling this place like it meant nothing!”
“It did mean something!” Tears streaked Charlotte’s face. “Of course it did! But I can’t—I can’t be here! It hurts! Everything smells like her, everything reminds me!”
“And you think it doesn’t hurt me?” Emily asked softly. “You think I don’t cry when I hear her voice in my head?”
Charlotte wiped her eyes, turning away.
“Then why fight the sale?”
“Because it’s our home!” Emily sat beside her. “Our history lives here. Mum wanted us to decide together!”
“Mum wanted…” Charlotte whispered. “And what did Mum want when she wrote the will? Remember?”
Emily frowned.
“What are you getting at?”
“The house was left to both of us. But the garden plot—just to you. Ring any bells?”
“The plot?” Emily faltered. “Yes, I remember. So?”
“So the plot’s worth more than the house!” Charlotte stood. “Land in this area is pricey! And Mum left it only to you!”
“Char, what are you saying?” Emily shook her head. “What does it matter who got what? We’re sisters!”
“Sisters, sisters…” Charlotte scoffed. “When we sell, the plot goes too. And you’d pocket all that money!”
Emily sat in stunned silence.
“You think I—that I’d cheat you?”
“I don’t think—I know!” Charlotte snapped. “You hid it! Never mentioned the plot’s value! Planned to keep it all!”
“I didn’t even know it was worth more!” Emily cried. “How would I? I’m not an estate agent!”
“Didn’t know…” Charlotte shook her head. “Could’ve looked online. Or hired a surveyor.”
“Char, what’s wrong with you?” Emily stood. “Since when do I scheme against you?”
“Since always!” Charlotte waved her off. “Mum trusted you more. That’s why she left you the plot.”
“Or maybe she knew I’d look after it?” Emily countered. “That I’d be here more?”
“Maybe,” Charlotte conceded. “Or maybe she knew you were kinder.”
“Not kinder,” Emily said softly. “Just different.”
Charlotte stepped closer.
“Em, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go behind your back. I just… didn’t want us to argue.”
“And now we’re not?” Emily smirked.
“We are,” Charlotte admitted. “But honestly.”
“Honestly,” Emily agreed. “Char, here’s what we’ll do. Cancel the contract. We’ll visit the estate agent together—figure it out properly.”
“And the plot?” Charlotte asked.
“If it’s really worth more,” Emily said after a pause, “we split the profit. Half and half.”
“Really?” Charlotte searched her face.
“Really. We’re sisters. We help each other—not cheat.”
Charlotte hugged her tightly.
“Forgive me, Em. I never meant to betray you.”
“And forgive me,” Emily murmured. “For not seeing how much the will hurt you.”
“We’re both fools,” Charlotte laughed wetly.
“Fools,” Emily agreed. “But family fools.”
And as they stood there, holding onto each other in the house that had seen their best and worst moments, they knew that no matter what was lost or sold, their bond was something no contract could ever break.
