Clara’s explanation makes sense on the surface. Postpartum depression can cause withdrawal, shame spirals, irritability, and hypersensitivity, which explains the ghosting and her fear of reminders of her old self. But understanding why she pulled away doesn’t erase the impact of 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 she targeted the person who had always been safest and most forgiving. That moment turned private pain into public humiliation.

The deeper wound came after: 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 fully excuse recruiting others into a version of events where you became the villain. That public rewrite is why the hurt lingered.

So the next step isn’t a neat reunion. It’s boundaries, repair, and slow trust-building. Healing only becomes possible when she owns the damage publicly, agrees to clear rules moving forward, and you change too—becoming more discerning about where you place your loyalty. Forgiveness here isn’t returning to what was; it’s building something safer than before.