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“It means everyone adjusts themselves to avoid setting you off.”

She scoffed. “I do not expect anyone to adjust for me.”

“You absolutely do.”

Her eyes widened.

I continued. “You constantly insult Patty. You make comments about what she does for a living and how she’s not as good as everyone else since she’s a latent shifter. You abuse her. Then everyone changes the subject.”

Patty went still.

Karen looked at her. “I have never laid a hand on Patricia.”

“I didn’t say you hit her.”

“You used the word abuse.”

“Because cruelty doesn’t become harmless when you use a calm tone and pass the potatoes afterward.”

A few people looked down.

Karen’s face reddened. “How dare you? You know nothing about this family.”

“I know the missing stair phenomenon when I see it.”

Karen blinked. “The what?”

“The missing stair.”

Karen stared at me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

I could feel Hudson beside me now. He didn’t stop me. Neither did his mother. So I continued.

“A missing stair is the family member everyone knows is unsafe, cruel, disruptive, or abusive. Instead of repairing the problem, everyone learns to step around it.”

Karen laughed once. “This is absurd.”

“No. What’s absurd is warning new people about how to handle you instead of telling you to stop.”

Nobody moved.

I looked around the yard. “How many times has someone told Patty not to take Karen personally?”

Patty’s eyes filled.

“How many times has someone seated them apart because Karen might say something?”

Julie looked at the grass.

“How many times has the family changed plans, redirected conversations, or laughed awkwardly because confronting Karen would make dinner uncomfortable?”

Grandma Ruth closed her eyes.

I turned back to Karen. “That is the missing stair. Everyone knows the step is broken. Instead of fixing it, they warn each other not to put weight on it.”

Karen pointed at me. “You dare lecture this family after deceiving them? After lying about who the hell you are?”

“Yes.”