I stood in front of Kara's sprawling home, my fingers clutching the small gift bag I had brought. The knot in my stomach tightened.

In the two years since Mark's death, his mother had only rarely included me in anything.

Usually, Mark's siblings invited me to family events, even though, strictly speaking, I wasn't part of their family anymore.

It was nice to be included though, and I always made an effort to go. When I received Kara's invitation to her birthday party, I knew I had to attend.

"You can do this, Melissa," I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath. "For Mark. For Eleanor."

Eleanor. The thought of her made my heart ache all over again.

Mark's grandmother had been my rock after he passed, treating me like the daughter she never had. She'd only been gone three months, and I still found myself reaching for the phone to call her whenever something good or bad happened.

I rang the doorbell, plastering on what I hoped was a convincing smile. The door swung open, and there stood Kara, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Melissa. You made it." Her tone suggested she had hoped otherwise.

"Happy birthday, Kara," I said, handing her the gift bag.

She took it without a thank you and turned away. "Everyone's in the backyard."

I followed her through the house, noting how nothing had changed since I was last here.

There were photos of Mark everywhere: as a child, as a teenager, as a college graduate — but notably, none of our wedding. Kara had always made it clear what she thought of me.

The backyard was filled with family, friends, and relatives.

Some faces lit up when they saw me, offering hugs. Others watched with barely disguised disapproval.

Emma, Mark's niece, bounded over to me. At 20, she had always been more like a little sister to Mark than a niece.

"Melissa! I'm so glad you came!" She hugged me tightly, her warmth a stark contrast to Kara's chill.

"Kara invited me," I said, still a bit bewildered by the fact.

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "She did? That's... unexpected."

"Tell me about it."

The next hour was an exercise in patience. I tried to blend in and make small talk, but every time I found a moment of peace, Kara would swoop in with a barbed comment.

"That outfit is quite... casual for a family gathering like this, isn't it, Melissa?" she said loudly as I chatted with Mark's uncle.

"Oh, I think it's lovely," the uncle's wife said kindly.

Kara ignored her. "I'm surprised you still come to these things. Most people would have moved on by now."

I bit my tongue. "Family is important to me, Kara."

"Are we really your family though?" she asked with a cold smile. "Without Mark?"

The words stung more than I cared to admit. I excused myself to get a drink, feeling Kara's eyes boring into my back.

By the time the cake was served, my patience was all but used up.

I had endured comments about my job ("Still at that little marketing firm?"), my appearance ("You look tired, dear"), and even my grief ("It's been two years, Melissa, when are you going to start dating again?").

I was picking at my cake when Kara approached again, this time with a woman I didn't recognize.

"This is Diane," Kara said. "She's a colleague of my son's from law school. They've been spending a lot of time together."