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When Betrayal Comes from the Family
Starting over is an act of courage when home is no longer a refuge
Brad always believed that family was forever. He grew up in the cozy suburbs of Minneapolis, where Sunday afternoons were filled with backyard barbecues, laughter echoing through the two-story house as his mother, Margaret, served her famous apple pie. His younger brother David and sister Miley were not only siblings but also his closest friends, confidants, and the ones with whom he experienced every important moment of his life. It was an ideal depiction of the suburban American dream, until the moment it all collapsed like a house of cards in the breeze.
“Stacy is someone you’ll really like,” Miley had remarked while introducing her best friend to her brother at a party on the University of Minnesota campus.
“She’s exactly your type.”
Miley was right. Stacy was everything Brad had always dreamed of: intelligent, with a smile that lit up any room and an infectious laugh that made his heart soar. Their relationship blossomed naturally, as if predestined. For four years, they built a life together, sharing an apartment, dreams and plans for the future.
The night Brad proposed to her, under the Christmas lights of the Nicollet, snowflakes fell…
