Lawyer Says My Husband Demands Alimony. I Say, He Died 2 Years Ago. Lawyer Goes, What? The Truth Is.

The Outcast Sister

My name is Charlotte. I’m 26 years old and single. I don’t have a full-time job. I’ve been a bit of a shut-in since middle school. I went to high school, but I dropped out, so I only have a middle school education. Since then, I’ve been living with my parents, working part-time jobs and taking on work from online postings.

I have an older brother named Sawyer who’s three years older than me, and he’s the complete opposite of me: good at sports, lots of friends, and the so-called outgoing type. My brother didn’t want people to know he had a sister like me. He never brought friends home, and even if I happened to run into him and his friends at the convenience store, he’d ignore me.

I thought it couldn’t be helped and considered it like someone else’s problem. Once my brother started college and moved out to live on his own, I stopped worrying about such things. Then there was talk of my brother getting married. He would be turning 29. It wasn’t surprising.

Later, it was decided that my brother would bring his fiancé to our parents’ house. Since I was home that day, I decided to join them.

“Dad, Mom, I’m home.”

My brother arrived on time, and when he saw me sitting with our parents, he looked confused for a moment.

“Sorry to intrude.”

His fiancé entered the house, seemingly unaware of my brother’s attitude. Then, looking at me, she said:

“Huh?”

She looked puzzled. I could tell from her eyes that she was asking my brother, “Who is this?” He probably hadn’t told her about me.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I’m Sawyer’s mother. This is his father.”

My mother introduced only herself and my father. The fiancé seemed satisfied and bowed politely but still looked puzzled. My father didn’t follow up on my behalf.

A Stranger with Blood Relations

My parents have always been harsh with me, who couldn’t live up to my accomplished brother. When we were young, they’d say things like:

“Your brother can do it. Why can’t you?”

As if it was part of our education. But it changed as we grew older. Eventually, I was even called a money-sucking leech. It seemed that my parents were planning to ignore me at this meeting too.

“I’ll go and get some more drinks.”

As my mother stood up to leave, she whispered in my ear:

“Why are you here? Go back to your room.”

I had attended this meeting because I wanted to get along with my family in my own way, but it seemed to have backfired. Still, I couldn’t just leave, so I stayed put.

My brother’s fiancé introduced herself as Isabella. She was the same age as me, 26, but a beautiful woman with a refined atmosphere, giving off a vibe that I shouldn’t casually talk to her. My brother seemed a bit annoyed. He probably didn’t like me being there. He introduced the woman to our father and mother, but he didn’t talk to me at all. It felt like a ghost.

When the conversation about the marriage was over, casual chatter naturally started, but my brother still acted like I didn’t exist. And then Sawyer asked:

“What do you usually do, Charlotte?”

Before I could answer, my brother interrupted.

“Wait, Isabella, you don’t need to talk to her.”

That’s what he said clearly. Isabella looked a bit surprised.

“That’s right. Don’t worry about it.”

My mother chimed in.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. She’s just a stranger with a blood relation.”

When my father said that, something inside me ended. A stranger, huh? I thought so. Reconciliation was impossible from the start. That’s how the meeting ended, as if it didn’t matter whether I was there or not.

The Housewarming Trap

Soon after, my brother and Isabella got married and started building a house to live in together. My brother works at a famous company after graduating from college. He’s still in his twenties, but his income seems good. Isabella is going to be a stay-at-home wife and has already quit her job.

Around the time my brother’s house was completed, we received an invitation to a housewarming party. It would be held with a limited number of guests, including Isabella’s relatives and my brother’s bosses. My mother was anxious, saying:

“Oh, it’s already finished. Time flies. We need to prepare a housewarming gift. What should we get?”

My father said:

“We’re family, so it doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”

And he casually turned over the invitation. Only my father and mother’s names were on the invitation. My name wasn’t there. My mother seemed to have noticed but asked:

“Charlotte is coming too, right?”

I wondered what she meant. At the meeting, they had introduced me in such a horrible way.

“It’s fine if I’m not invited.”

I declined, but my mother insisted.

“No, you’re coming. I’ll make arrangements.”

So I ended up going to the party.

On the day of the party, it suddenly started raining. My parents and I took a taxi to my brother’s house. My brother and his wife didn’t come out to the front yard because of the rain and welcome their guests at the entrance. As soon as we arrived at my brother’s house, my mother said to me:

“You pay for the taxi.”

And got out of the car with my father first. Without umbrellas, they both hurried toward the entrance. Ah, so that’s why. I thought there was quite a distance between my brother’s house and ours. I thought it was extravagant to take a taxi. I was the one called to pay for the car.

After I paid, I ran towards the entrance and Isabella asked me:

“Who are you?”

I had only met Isabella once before. Maybe she forgot me. I thought so and introduced myself.

“I’m Charlotte, Sawyer’s sister.”

But she said with a smile:

“Ah, the high school dropout NEET. We didn’t invite the parasite living off a parent.”

Isabella said this casually with a smile. My brother, who had just returned from showing someone in, came out too. He said to me with disdain:

“Huh? Why are you here? Hey Sawyer, I told you not to invite her. Why is she here?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

My brother didn’t want to invite me after all. And Isabella changed her attitude once she knew about me. Actually, she’s worse than my brother and parents.

“Would it have been better if I didn’t come?”

I asked my brother cautiously.

“Yeah, you’re a stranger because of your low education. Actually, not finishing High School doesn’t even count as an education, right? Could you please leave the property quickly?”

Isabella followed up on what my brother said like she was siding with him, her expression remaining calm the whole time. Was truly terrifying.

“Understood.”

I turned on my heel. The taxi from earlier was gone and since we weren’t on a main street, it seemed difficult to find another one. I didn’t have an umbrella. I trudged along, getting drenched in the rain. I could hear Isabella’s laughter from behind.