Hannah, the narrator, has always served as the exhausted referee between her two vastly different sisters. Eliza, the oldest at 36, is impeccably organized, always striving to appear perfect, and treats her children’s achievements like polished trophies. Conversely, Mindy, the youngest at 29, is defined by her warmth, intuition, and forgiving nature—the one you want in a crisis. While Hannah loved both, her relationship with Eliza was complicated by Eliza’s persistent need to be the best. This dynamic worsened when Hannah became pregnant with twins, Lily and Harper. Eliza began making dismissive comments, joking about “double the chaos” and suggesting twins were “more like crowd control” than “real parenting.”
The fake-sweet support vanished after Lily and Harper were born. Eliza became visibly irritated by their presence, sighing dramatically if they cried or criticizing their mismatched outfits. The true nature of Eliza’s resentment became clear when Hannah overheard her whispering to their mother, “Some people just shouldn’t have more than one child at a time.” This moment shattered Hannah’s heart, leading to the painful realization she had been avoiding: Eliza was not jealous of Hannah’s life, but deeply jealous of her children. For Eliza, who tied her self-worth to public admiration, the instant adoration her twins received felt like the spotlight had moved offstage. Hannah pulled back, keeping her distance for years.
Years later, Hannah finally caved to her mother’s request and invited Eliza to the twins’ fourth birthday party. Eliza arrived right on time, bringing a massive pink-and-gold gift box that towered over the girls, wrapped with professional flawlessness. She delivered it with a tight, syrupy-sweet, yet subtly cutting, smile: “Happy birthday to the girls.” The party proceeded well, and after the cake was cut, the family gathered in the living room to open presents. Just as Hannah prepared to help Lily and Harper with the mountain of gifts, including Eliza’s glittering box, a frantic, desperate banging erupted at the front door, stopping the celebration cold.
Hannah rushed to the door and opened it to find Mindy, breathless, hair wild, and cheeks flushed. Mindy frantically cut Hannah off, demanding, “Please tell me you haven’t opened Eliza’s gift yet.” When Hannah confirmed they hadn’t, Mindy pushed past her, scanning the room before spotting the giant box. Her voice shaking, she urgently whispered, “Do NOT let your girls open that box.” Mindy then revealed she had overheard their mutual friend, Claire, saying Eliza planned something “awful.” She explained her delayed arrival: her phone died, and her tire blew on the highway, forcing her desperate rush to warn them before it was too late.
Alarmed, Hannah intervened just as Eliza crouched down, sweetly urging the twins to open “this special one next.” Hannah stepped between them, announcing she needed to check the gift first. The room went silent. Hannah carried the surprisingly light box into the kitchen, followed by David, Mindy, their parents, and a stomping, demanding Eliza. Ignoring her older sister’s theatrical demand—”What is this circus? It’s a gift!”—Hannah carefully peeled back the tape. She opened the box and saw the highly coveted Labubu plush the girls had begged for, but only one. Taped inside the lid was the cruel card: “For the most well-behaved and prettiest girl.”
Hannah, trembling with fury, turned to face Eliza. “You bought one gift,” she measured, “so my daughters would fight over which one ‘deserves’ it?” Eliza feigned innocence but scoffed, insisting one child was “better behaved” and the toy was too expensive to buy twice. Their father sharply snapped, “Enough,” and Mindy quickly condemned Eliza for trying to “pit four-year-old sisters against each other.” Quietly, Hannah declared, “That’s not a gift. It’s a weapon.” Eliza grabbed her purse and dramatically slammed the door on her way out. Later, Hannah and David bought a second plush, then had Lily and Harper call Eliza to thank her profusely for the “two” toys, making sure she knew her divisive plan had failed. Disappointed, Eliza hung up quickly. Hannah swore to never let anyone cross that line of trying to divide her children again.
