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<\/p>\nSeven months pregnant, I agreed to house-sit for my brother and his wife while they vacationed. One afternoon, I stumbled across three mysterious trash bags in the basement. What I found inside made me run for my life and haunts me to this day.<\/p>\n
\u201cRun, faster, faster, Celina,\u201d a voice screamed in my head as I stumbled through the dense woods behind my brother\u2019s mansion. Seven months pregnant, I gasped for air, one hand clutching my swollen belly, the other pushing away branches that scratched at my face\u2026<\/p>\n
The next bus stop was just beyond these trees. How could I have been so blind? So trusting?<\/p>\n
I glanced down at my trembling hands, sticky with drying blood. Wiping them on my dress, I whispered, \u201cWe\u2019re safe, my baby. We\u2019re safe. Someone will get us home.\u201d<\/p>\n
It all started two weeks ago\u2026<\/p>\n
I was curled up on the couch, scrolling through my phone when it buzzed with an incoming call. My brother Victor\u2019s name flashed on the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, big bro! What\u2019s up?\u201d I answered, trying to sound cheerful despite the tension that had been building between us lately.<\/p>\n
\u201cCelina! How\u2019s my favorite sister?\u201d Victor\u2019s voice boomed through the speaker. \u201cListen, I\u2019ve got a huge favor to ask. Anne and I are heading out of town for a week. A friend\u2019s wedding plus a little vacation. Any chance you or Paul could house-sit for us?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, I heard rustling and then my sister-in-law Anne\u2019s voice came on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Celina, you\u2019ll love staying here! Don\u2019t worry about a thing, sweetie. The house practically runs itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hesitated, thinking about the cold shoulder Anne had been giving me lately.<\/p>\n
Our relationship had become increasingly strained over the past year, ever since Paul\u2019s business took off and our financial situation improved dramatically.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Victor had faced a string of failed ventures, and I could see the toll it was taking on him and Anne.<\/p>\n
The last straw seemed to be my pregnancy announcement. While the rest of the family had been overjoyed, Anne\u2019s reaction was lukewarm at best.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even bother to show up for the gender reveal party, citing being \u201ctoo busy\u201d when I called to ask why she\u2019d missed it.<\/p>\n
I knew it was a lie. Anne and Victor had been trying for years to conceive, with no success due to some health issues she faced. My easy pregnancy seemed to be salt in her wounds.<\/p>\n
There was also the incident last month when Anne hosted a party to celebrate Victor finally landing a big contract. Paul and I weren\u2019t invited, and when I politely confronted her about it later, she brushed it off with a flimsy excuse about \u201climited space.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hurt and confusion I felt then still lingered.<\/p>\n
But now, here she was, asking me to house-sit. Was this her way of extending an olive branch? Maybe she was finally ready to move past her jealousy and resentment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"