Clara’s explanation makes sense on the surface. Postpartum depression can cause withdrawal, shame spirals, irritability, and hypersensitivity—explaining the ghosting and her fear of reminders of her old self. But understanding why she pulled away doesn’t erase how she did it.
The baby shower moment wasn’t just sadness—it was a control reflex. Feeling emotionally out of control, she tried to control the room and targeted the person who had always been safest and most forgiving. Private pain became public humiliation.
The deeper wound came later: removing you from the group chat and posting about her “real sisters.” That wasn’t passive suffering—it was active narrative-building. PPD may explain her mindset, but it doesn’t excuse recruiting others into a story where you became the villain. That public rewrite is why the hurt lingered.
The next step isn’t a neat reunion. It’s boundaries, repair, and slow trust-building. Healing happens only when she owns the damage publicly, agrees to clear rules moving forward, and you become more discerning about where to place your loyalty. Forgiveness here isn’t a return to what was—it’s building something safer than before.
