After I got married, my stepbrother went crazy

On Christmas Eve, my stepbrother showed up with his gorgeous girlfriend.

During the dinner, my parents started their "when are you settling down" routine. I ignored them, as usual.

At that time, my future sister-in-law dropped some pizza in my plate and leaned in with that gossip-hungry look.

"Didn't she have some unforgettable first love?"

I kept my eyes glued to my plate, pushing food around.

How could I possibly tell her? My first love... was her boyfriend.

At eighteen, Burke had pulled me into a secret relationship right under our parents' noses. Yeah, we had sex.

Now here we were, and the bastard was still playing games, his foot sneaking against my ankle under the table.

While he was holding his girlfriend's hand like the perfect boyfriend, he smirked, "Almost twenty-eight, Sara. Not exactly in your prime anymore - definitely not as hot as your future sister-in-law. Clock's ticking."

I snapped. Standing up, I looked him dead in the eye, voice cool as ice.

"Actually, I'm already married."

I wasn't planning on coming home for Christmas.

But my mother faked a heart condition to guilt me into it.

At the dinner, she wouldn't shut up about it. "Work, work, work - that's all we hear. Three years you've been gone. Bet you can't even remember what your family looks like!"

Burke glanced up, letting out a contemptuous snort. "Oh, we know why she stays away. Someone here she'd rather not see."

Burke and I? Oil and water would be putting it mildly.

At our parents' wedding, when we were both kids, he deliberately stepped on my dress. And I fell embarrassingly in front of everyone.

My stepfather ripped him a new one, but that only made things worse. The second adults turned their backs, the torment began.

My mother had married up, so I decided to swallow it all. Living in that house back then felt like tap dancing through a minefield.

It wasn't until a certain incident that I finally stood up to Burke.

"Some things are better left unsaid," I retorted, humiliating him publicly.

"Right," my stepfather had glared at him. "If you can't say anything nice, just shut your mouth."

To be fair, my mother wasn't good at managing the household and was quite dull.

But she was stunning and had a good eye for choosing a husband. Both my late biological father and my stepfather were total catches - devoted family men who worshipped the ground she walked on.

The awkward silence was broken by Madge, Burke's girlfriend. "Burke actually cares about his sister. He even called Sara's name in his sleep once."

"All these years of sibling squabbles, haven't we gotten through just like this?"

My mother squeezed Madge's hand, her eyes full of comfort. "With you around, we can finally relax. How about we plan that engagement party after we meet your parents? As soon as possible!"

Madge batted her eyelashes, playing shy. "I'll leave everything up to you."

Burke frowned. "There's no rush. I've got a business trip after the holiday. We can deal with this later."

Mother switched targe...