I stared at her.
“My part?”
“You left without giving us a chance to explain our position,” my father said. “You cut off contact. You refused to come home for holidays. Those were choices you made.”
“After you chose to prioritize Beth’s feelings over my entire existence,” I said flatly.
“We were trying to be sensitive to your sister’s needs,” my mother said.
“By forbidding me from celebrating becoming an adult,” I replied.
Bethany spoke up, her voice shaking.
“Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
“I’m the reason this dinner is happening,” she continued. “Because I have things I need to say to all of you.”
My mother reached over to pat her hand.
“Honey, you don’t need to.”
“Yes, I do,” Bethany said, pulling her hand back. “I need to say that Emma was right about everything. You did favor me. You did coddle me. You made her feel invisible so I could feel special. And that was wrong.”
My father’s face darkened.
“Bethany, your sister is twisting—”
“No, she’s not,” Bethany snapped. “I’m 18 now, almost 19. I’m old enough to see what happened.”
“Every time Emma accomplished something, you downplayed it. Every time I failed at something, you made excuses,” she said, voice rising. “You threw me a second sweet sixteen party because I was feeling insecure. But you wouldn’t let Emma have a simple dinner for her 18th birthday. How is that fair?”
“You were going through a difficult time,” my mother said defensively.
“I was being a brat,” Bethany shot back. “And you enabled it instead of parenting me.”
“Do you know how unprepared I was for college? For real life?” she demanded. “I almost failed out my first year because I had no idea how to function without you solving all my problems.”
“We were protecting you,” my father insisted.
“From what?” Bethany snapped. “Reality? Growing up?”
“Meanwhile, Emma learned how to actually survive because you gave her no choice.”
Bethany turned to me, tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry for being part of why you had to leave. For being spoiled and self-centered and not standing up for you when I should have.”
I felt my throat tighten.
“Thank you,” I said.
My mother looked between us, her expression morphing into something ugly.
“I cannot believe I’m hearing this,” she said. “After everything we’ve done for you, Bethany—the opportunities we’ve given you, the sacrifices we’ve made.”
“You mean the opportunities and sacrifices you gave to her while giving me nothing?” I asked quietly.
“You’ve done perfectly fine on your own, haven’t you?” my mother snapped. “You have your fancy job and your apartment and your perfect life. Maybe we knew you were strong enough to handle things without our support.”
“That’s not parenting,” I said. “That’s abandonment with extra steps.”
“How dare you!”
“She’s right,” Bethany cut in. “That’s exactly what it was.”
“You abandoned Emma emotionally long before she left physically,” she said, voice trembling with fury, “and now you’re mad because she succeeded anyway, and I’m finally seeing you clearly.”
My father stood up abruptly.
“I don’t have to sit here and listen to this disrespect.”
“Then leave,” I said simply. “We’re all adults here. You can leave anytime you want.”
He stared at me, clearly expecting me to back down.
When I didn’t, he threw his napkin on the table and walked out.
My mother hesitated, looking between Bethany and me.
“You’re making a mistake,” she said to Bethany. “Siding with her will only hurt you in the long run.”
“The only mistake I made was taking so long to see the truth,” Bethany replied.
My mother grabbed her purse and followed my father out.