Eight months pregnant, Gabby expects to be a guest at her sister’s lavish wedding. Instead, she’s handed an outrageous “family duty” that pushes her to her breaking point. As the big day unfolds, Gabby must decide where loyalty ends… and self-respect begins.

When I tell people that I’m eight months pregnant, they usually react with a little gasp and a softened expression, followed by a comment about how I must be so “exhausted.”

They don’t know the half of it. As much as I love having my baby kick around inside me, the added weight is definitely adding years to my joints. And while pregnancy carries its own gravity, it’s nothing compared to being in my sister’s orbit.
Tara’s always had this way of making people orbit around her. Even as kids, she never really asked for help. Instead, she assigned it. And somehow, you’d find yourself agreeing, not because you want to but because saying no felt like inviting a storm into your life.
I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of my sister’s living room, carefully aligning artificial peonies on the centerpiece bases, when she dropped her big news.

“I want to announce free transportation for all my wedding guests,” she said, smoothing down her planner pages with a manicured hand. “You know, Gabby? To make it look chic and classy.”
My fingers froze mid-placement. The glue gun, still warm beside me, gave off the faint smell of singed plastic. I blinked up at her.