diff --git a/airbyte_cdk/sources/declarative/expanders/record_expander.py b/airbyte_cdk/sources/declarative/expanders/record_expander.py
index 6b489243d..1d8ec8289 100644
--- a/airbyte_cdk/sources/declarative/expanders/record_expander.py
+++ b/airbyte_cdk/sources/declarative/expanders/record_expander.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2023 Airbyte, Inc., all rights reserved.
 #
 
-import copy
 from dataclasses import InitVar, dataclass
 from enum import Enum
 from typing import Any, Iterable, Mapping, MutableMapping, Sequence
@@ -59,7 +58,9 @@ class RecordExpander:
             Items from this array will be extracted and emitted as separate records.
             Supports wildcards (*).
         remain_original_record: If True, each expanded record will include the original
-            parent record in an "original_record" field. Defaults to False.
+            parent record in an "original_record" field. The parent record is shared
+            (not deep-copied) across all expanded siblings, so treat it as read-only.
+            Defaults to False.
         on_no_records: Behavior when expansion produces no records. "skip" (default)
             emits nothing. "emit_parent" emits the original parent record unchanged.
         config: The user-provided configuration as specified by the source's spec.
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ def expand_record(self, record: MutableMapping[Any, Any]) -> Iterable[MutableMap
                     if self.remain_original_record:
                         yield {
                             "value": item,
-                            "original_record": copy.deepcopy(parent_record),
+                            "original_record": parent_record,
                         }
                     else:
                         yield item
@@ -125,4 +126,4 @@ def _apply_parent_context(
     ) -> None:
         """Apply parent context to a child record."""
         if self.remain_original_record:
-            child_record["original_record"] = copy.deepcopy(parent_record)
+            child_record["original_record"] = parent_record
diff --git a/unit_tests/sources/declarative/extractors/test_dpath_extractor.py b/unit_tests/sources/declarative/extractors/test_dpath_extractor.py
index 94fb72743..37f66ed98 100644
--- a/unit_tests/sources/declarative/extractors/test_dpath_extractor.py
+++ b/unit_tests/sources/declarative/extractors/test_dpath_extractor.py
@@ -416,6 +416,104 @@ def test_dpath_extractor_with_expansion(
     assert actual_records == expected_records
 
 
+def test_record_expander_shares_parent_reference_for_dict_items():
+    """Expanded dict records share the same parent reference instead of deep-copying.
+
+    This prevents O(N²) memory usage when a parent record contains a large nested
+    array (e.g., a Stripe invoice event with many line items). Each expanded child
+    record's `original_record` should be the exact same object as all siblings.
+    """
+    parent = {
+        "id": "evt_123",
+        "type": "invoice.updated",
+        "data": {
+            "object": {
+                "id": "in_456",
+                "lines": {
+                    "data": [
+                        {"id": "il_1", "amount": 100},
+                        {"id": "il_2", "amount": 200},
+                        {"id": "il_3", "amount": 300},
+                    ]
+                },
+            }
+        },
+    }
+
+    expander = RecordExpander(
+        expand_records_from_field=["data", "object", "lines", "data"],
+        config={},
+        parameters={},
+        remain_original_record=True,
+    )
+
+    records = list(expander.expand_record(parent))
+    assert len(records) == 3
+
+    # All expanded records should share the same parent reference (identity, not just equality)
+    for rec in records:
+        assert rec["original_record"] is parent
+
+    # Values are still correct
+    assert records[0]["id"] == "il_1"
+    assert records[1]["id"] == "il_2"
+    assert records[2]["id"] == "il_3"
+
+
+def test_record_expander_shares_parent_reference_for_non_dict_items():
+    """Non-dict expanded records also share the same parent reference."""
+    parent = {"items": [1, "a", 3.14], "meta": "info"}
+
+    expander = RecordExpander(
+        expand_records_from_field=["items"],
+        config={},
+        parameters={},
+        remain_original_record=True,
+    )
+
+    records = list(expander.expand_record(parent))
+    assert len(records) == 3
+
+    for rec in records:
+        assert rec["original_record"] is parent
+
+
+def test_record_expander_large_expansion_memory_efficient():
+    """Expanding a record with many children should not multiply parent memory.
+
+    Simulates a Stripe-like scenario: an event with 500 line items. With deep
+    copy this would create 500 copies of the full event (O(N²) memory). With
+    shared references, memory usage stays O(N).
+    """
+    n_items = 500
+    parent = {
+        "id": "evt_large",
+        "type": "invoice.updated",
+        "data": {
+            "object": {
+                "id": "in_big",
+                "lines": {"data": [{"id": f"il_{i}", "amount": i * 100} for i in range(n_items)]},
+            }
+        },
+    }
+
+    expander = RecordExpander(
+        expand_records_from_field=["data", "object", "lines", "data"],
+        config={},
+        parameters={},
+        remain_original_record=True,
+    )
+
+    records = list(expander.expand_record(parent))
+    assert len(records) == n_items
+
+    # All share the same parent object — no deep copies
+    for rec in records:
+        assert rec["original_record"] is parent
+    assert records[0]["id"] == "il_0"
+    assert records[-1]["id"] == f"il_{n_items - 1}"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "field_path, expand_records_from_field, on_no_records, body, expected_records",
     [