The Hidden Story of My Brother

Nick lived barely fifteen minutes from me. We talked nearly every day. Our mother raised us to be inseparable, to always be honest with each other. Yet here I was, learning that my closest person had been living a double life right under my nose.

I didn’t confront him immediately. For two days, I watched him behave exactly like the brother I thought I knew—laughing, helping with chores, sharing his famous chili. But now, every word felt rehearsed. Every smile felt like a mask.

On the third day, I finally asked him to sit with me on my porch. We drank the overly lemony iced tea he loved. I tried to keep calm as I quietly said, “Are you going to tell me about Lea?”

His entire body stilled. He didn’t deny anything. He just sighed and looked away. “So you found out.”

Why He Hid Everything

He explained that he met Clara six years ago. It wasn’t supposed to turn into anything serious—but then she became pregnant. They decided to keep the baby, and somewhere along the way, they became a family.

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