It had been a month since my younger brother, Chris, moved in with Kara and me. He was between apartments, and I had the space, so I figured why not offer him our guest room? We’d been living in a two-bedroom house for the past year, and Kara and I had agreed that we would enjoy having the extra company. It wasn’t a huge inconvenience — at least not at first.

Kara and I were happy together, navigating through our day-to-day lives as a married couple. Things were normal. I worked 9 to 5 as a graphic designer, and Kara had recently made a big career shift to something that made her far happier. She was still getting the hang of the pay cut that came with her new role, but it was a decision we’d both discussed and agreed on.

I knew it would be a temporary situation, and Chris wasn’t the worst guest. He kept to himself most of the time, came and went as he pleased, and always showed respect for our space. Until last weekend, that is.

We were sitting in the living room, all three of us, watching TV. Kara was laughing at a show, and Chris had a half-hearted smile as he scrolled through his phone. It was a casual evening, or at least, it was supposed to be. Then, out of nowhere, Chris said something that took both Kara and me by surprise.

“Well, Kara,” he said, his tone mocking, “You’re basically living off my brother, right? What a gold digger.”

My stomach sank. Kara’s smile dropped instantly, and I could see the shock and hurt flash across her face. I wasn’t sure if I heard him correctly at first, but then he doubled down. “I mean, you’ve got a good deal, right? He’s working hard, and you’re just, you know, mooching off him. Gotta be nice, huh?”

I felt the heat rise in my chest as the blood rushed to my face. I opened my mouth to respond, but Kara beat me to it. “Chris, that’s rude,” she said, her voice tight, trying to mask the hurt. “That’s not funny.”

Chris just shrugged, his eyes flicking to me. “Well, I call it like I see it. Maybe if you weren’t so lazy and actually got a better job, you wouldn’t have to rely on my brother so much.”

I could see the tears welling up in Kara’s eyes, and that’s when I knew I had to step in. I stood up, trying to control the anger building inside me. “Chris,” I said, my voice steady but firm. “You’re not going to talk to my wife like that. Not in our house.”

Chris scoffed and leaned back on the couch. “Oh come on, it was just a joke. Why are you so upset?”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. “That wasn’t a joke. That was an insult, and you’re not going to disrespect her in front of me.”

Kara was silent now, looking down at her hands in her lap. I could tell she was holding back tears, and it made my blood boil even more. I turned to Chris, my voice now rising. “You need to leave. Right now.”

“What?” Chris blinked, clearly shocked by my reaction. “Are you serious? Over a joke? Come on, you’re overreacting.”

“No,” I said, my jaw clenched, “You don’t get to insult my wife and then act like it’s nothing. You’re out. Now.”

Chris stood up, shaking his head as he scoffed. “Fine, whatever,” he muttered under his breath, “You’re being ridiculous.”

I motioned to the door. “Pack your things. I’m done with this.”

For a second, I thought he was going to argue further, but he didn’t. He grabbed his bag and left without another word.

The aftermath wasn’t as easy to navigate as I thought it would be. The next morning, my phone buzzed with messages from my parents, asking me what had happened. “You kicked Chris out?” my mom texted. “You know he’s your brother, right?”

I was angry, and I didn’t want to deal with it. Kara and I had talked it over that night, and she thanked me for standing up for her, but we both knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

A few hours later, Chris texted me. “I don’t get it, man. I was just having a little fun. You really kicked me out over that?”

I didn’t reply immediately. I didn’t know what to say to him. He’d crossed a line, and I couldn’t just ignore it.

But then the texts kept coming. From my dad. From my mom. Everyone was angry. Everyone was telling me I should’ve been the bigger person and let it go.

“You overreacted, Wilson,” my dad said over the phone. “He’s your brother, for God’s sake. You’ve got to have a thicker skin.”

“You can’t just kick family out like that,” my mom added. “What’s wrong with you?”

They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand what I was standing up for.

Later that night, I spoke to Kara again, and she tried to convince me to reconcile with Chris. “I know you’re upset, but you’re family. Can’t you just talk to him?”

I sighed and shook my head. “I’ve tried talking to him, Kara. He keeps pushing me, insulting you, and treating me like I’m just going to let it slide. I can’t do that anymore.”

She was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. “I understand, but I don’t want you to lose your brother over something like this.”

“I won’t lose him,” I said firmly. “But I won’t let him walk all over us either. This time, it’s different.”

The next day, I found myself calling Chris. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to. He answered quickly. “Yeah?”

“Chris, I’m not sorry for kicking you out,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “But I will talk to you if you apologize.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said defensively. “I was just joking.”

“No,” I said, my voice firm, “That wasn’t a joke. That was an attack. And I’m not going to let you treat Kara like that. You need to apologize to her too.”

There was a long pause on the line. I could tell he was thinking it over. “I’m sorry,” he muttered finally. “I didn’t mean to hurt you guys.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “That’s all I needed to hear,” I said. “But that’s not the end of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Next time, think before you speak. And don’t ever disrespect my wife in my house again.”

A few days later, Chris came over to apologize to Kara in person. She was hesitant at first, but after a long talk, they hugged it out. I could see the relief in Kara’s eyes.

It wasn’t a perfect resolution, but I knew we’d made progress. Chris learned a lesson, and I felt like I’d earned Kara’s trust even more by standing up for her.

As time passed, Chris didn’t stay with us again, but we all found a way to make things work. He was family, and I loved him. But my priority would always be Kara. And from now on, no one, not even family, would cross that line again.

The End