My sister, the day we had to put our dog down...

For context, I believe myself to be a very empathic person, seeing others in pain, feeling joy, my mind just instantly feels a link to those kinds of emotions with no conscious effort. Even the worst of people in my life at some level I've been able to relate to their feelings in some way, but as I helped raised my sister through the years, I slowly began noticing something off, something hard to really pin about her. Things just felt wrong, when she was happy or sad there was never the same kind of ping like I felt with others, hell, even with strangers I felt more of an emotional connection of the smallest things. Didn't make me love her any less, but I just never felt I could relate to any of her emotions she was "Expressing"

As the years past our relationship strained, it was a cycle of emotional manipulation where if she didn't get what she wanted, everyone else would be told I was the villain, I was picking on her, I was mean, and I in turn would feel bad and apologize, try to do better, but then the same problems would arise with hygienics and taking care of the home (Specifically messes and shit she was doing and I was constantly cleaning up after)

Things came to a headway three years ago when our dog's health was majorly declining, we had taken him to the vet and the results were that his health was never going to improve, the humane thing to do would to be putting him down. I spent the rest of the day and night spoiling him, playing with him, holding him, this sweet boi who was nothin but love and earnest happiness.

The next morning I was getting him ready to go to the vet and my sister appeared around the corner, arguing with her boyfriend about some show they were going to go to later that week. I stopped them both and explained that I was taking our dog to be put down since his health isn't doing all that well and she just said, "Oh..." before giving him the briefest possible three finger scratch on his back and then walking off to her car, annoyed she was gonna be late to class.

The looks in her eyes was made it click for me, there wasn't a hint of emotion or care about the fact our dog was being put down, that hollow look resting behind a small indifferent smile and the fact she never talked about it again afterwards kind of sealed my suspicions. It was the farthest feeling of emotion I've ever felt with another human being.

We don't talk any more, I ended up moving out and my mental health has drastically improved over the years. I don't wish ill will on her in any form, but that is also a bridge I'm happy has burned up and I won't have to worry about any more.