Our family’s Christmas party was a never-interrupted tradition, one I had always attended no matter how busy I was, even when I started my company or during delicate times in our family relationships.

Since my childhood, this party had been a cherished memory filled with my mother’s homemade cakes, my father dressed as Santa Claus, and exchanging handmade gifts with Kevin. It was a precious time to affirm our family bonds.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Kevin is bringing Tiffany, and her parents will be coming too.”

My mother’s words were hesitant, as if hiding something.

That moment brought back memories of the past, the night I stayed up caring for Kevin when he had a fever in elementary school, and the days I encouraged him during his middle school entrance exams.

Those memories now felt like a distant past.

The truth came directly from Tiffany herself. In fact, I had already met her a few months back.

It was a fateful encounter on the day of a cleaning service bid at the general hospital. After finishing a presentation with other contractors, I was checking documents for the next project in the hallway when a hurried woman nearly bumped into me.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said the young woman in a lab coat, apologizing deeply.

While thinking she looked familiar, I glanced at her name tag. It read Tiffany Owen.

Realizing she was Kevin’s girlfriend, I couldn’t help but speak up.

“Are you Kevin’s?”

She looked surprised.

“Yes, but I’m Michelle, Kevin’s sister.”

Tiffany appeared momentarily perplexed, but quickly smiled warmly.

“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you from Kevin, but he never showed me a photo.”

Our conversation naturally flowed, and before I knew it, we were deeply engaged in discussion. Tiffany was an intelligent and kind woman. I could see why Kevin was smitten.

“Could we keep this between us?” Tiffany suggested. “I think it would surprise him.”

“He would be surprised when we reveal to him we’ve become good friends.”

I thought it sounded fun and agreed to keep our meeting a secret. However, looking back, perhaps Tiffany wanted to keep it secret out of consideration for me.

We occasionally met for coffee after that.

Then, the day after my mother called about the Christmas party, Tiffany contacted me.

“Michelle, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” her voice trembling.

We met at our usual cafe, her eyes red as if she had been crying.

“Michelle, I can’t stand it anymore,” she said, her voice shaking. “About the Christmas party, maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I think you have the right to know.”

Tiffany took a deep breath and began to speak.

She had accidentally overheard a conversation between Kevin and my mother. She heard them saying Tiffany’s family shouldn’t find out that his sister is a janitor.

That phrase struck me like a sharp blade.

“If they find out about Michelle being a janitor, Tiffany’s parents might not accept our relationship, and it could even affect my future career prospects.”

I felt as if my 24-year bond with my brother crumbled in an instant.

Kevin had proposed excluding me from family gatherings, seeing me as an obstacle to his future. When I heard these words, something quietly but surely broke inside me.

More shocking was my parents’ reaction.

“Don’t worry. Michelle will understand, considering your future. The world of medicine is really special.”

They seemed to sympathize with Kevin’s reasoning, as if my feelings as a daughter were less important than maintaining a social facade for my brother.

Since childhood, I had lived with the phrase “because you’re the big sister,” and sacrificing for my brother had seemed natural. But now, that natural felt profoundly unstable.

Tiffany continued.

“Actually, I’ve kept it a secret from Kevin for a long time, but my mother has been a janitor at a hospital for over 20 years. She met my father there, and they married. But she continued to work even after marriage. She worked with pride.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

“My mother always said cleaning is an important job that protects people’s lives.”

Deep gratitude for her mother shone in Tiffany’s eyes.

“I pretended I didn’t hear their conversation and said, at the Christmas party, I’d like to meet your sister. Then Kevin, he called the cleaning job embarrassing and referred to you as just a janitor.”

Tiffany’s tears spilled over as she spoke.

“I can’t believe them anymore, people who think of my mother’s job in such a way,” Tiffany said as she looked down, trembling.

That night, I stayed late at the office, lost in thought.

In front of my computer, displayed on the monitor, was the payment history for Kevin’s tuition fees, amounting to over $100,000 over four years. I had covered his day-to-day expenses and the shortfall in his tuition by taking out loans on top of my own contributions.