Lena leaned against a tool bench. "You know why Kael is the way he is? Because Dad forced him to be. Told him to 'own it' before he was ready. Kael never got to be soft. He had to be the shield."
"And you think that's a problem," Lena continued.
A steady, calm beat.
Ani had always been the "runt" of the family. While Kael was tall, charismatic, and possessed a strong, dominant presence that everyone admired, Ani felt soft, hesitant, and invisible. The family dynamic was warm but hierarchical—Kael was the unspoken leader, Lena the witty advisor, and Ani… the one who needed protecting.
"Your problem," Lena said gently, "isn't your body. It's the story you're telling yourself about what this body is supposed to do. You don't have to be Kael 2.0. You can be Ani 1.0."