Dear Prudence,
My sister and her wife have just announced to the family that my sister is pregnant. A happy occasion, sure, but I’ve been trying to ease out of contact with my sister for several years now, mostly due to abuse she put me through in my teenage years, and I’m not entirely sure how to handle this. Am I obligated to have a relationship with my new niece or nephew if it forces me into contact with my sister, and thus into memories of my past? Is it selfish of me to even be asking this question? Should I just keep my mouth shut and be the good aunt they’re probably expecting me to be?
—Estrangement for Two