The Allen family had always been a picture of normalcy—or so it seemed. In the early days, they laughed together, shared stories, and played outside. But after their mother died during childbirth, everything changed. It wasn't just grief that reshaped them—it was blame.
Luke, the eldest at 13, couldn't understand why his sisters blamed Liam for their mother's death. Liam, only 10, had been too young to know what was happening. But Ava and Grace, the two older sisters, seemed to carry a weight that Luke never fully grasped."It was his fault, Luke," Ava had told him one afternoon, her voice heavy with anger. "Mum would still be here if he hadn't been born. She died because of him."At first, Luke refused to believe it. He couldn't—he wouldn't. But as time wore on, those words—sharp and biting—stuck with him. His bond with Liam, the younger brother who had always been his best friend, started to crack. With each passing day, the cold distance grew, and Luke found himself avoiding Liam.One evening, after one too many drinks, Michael, their father, stumbled into the kitchen, the smell of whiskey clinging to him like a second skin. Luke, tired and confused, approached him."Dad," he asked quietly, "did Mum really die because of Liam?"Michael stopped, his eyes dark and clouded with pain. For a moment, it seemed like the world had frozen."She did," Michael mumbled, voice thick with alcohol. "But it wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It just happened."But that truth didn't comfort Luke. It only made things worse. The anger he felt toward Liam became something deeper, something darker.en everything from them.
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Bloodline
Short StoryA family of 6. Mother died at childbirth. Friendships torn apart because of false accusations. Betrayal. Murder. Grief.
