Therapy Day: My Sister Strips Me Bare

After my adopted younger sister, Candace Lane, is reunited with her birth parents, she develops severe psychological issues. Hence, to go along with her treatment, every Thanksgiving becomes the one day when everyone will spoil her. No matter what she requests on that day, nobody is allowed to refuse. This Thanksgiving, Candace takes off her hat to reveal the scar on her forehead and the jagged mess that is her hair. "A few days ago, I had an episode and cut off my hair. Since Lena's hair is so long, it would be perfect to cut and make into a wig for me." I set down my cutlery and slowly shake my head. I haven't cut my hair in 18 years, all because I want my parents to be the ones to cut it for me on my wedding day. Seeing as that day is coming soon, I plan on buying Candace a wig for now. "Maybe you should—Mmph!" Before I can get more than a few words out, Dad has already pressed a warning hand on my shoulder, while my fiancé, Peter Lipton, shakes his head at me and stuffs a bite of spicy lobster into my mouth. Mom heads for the kitchen and returns with a pair of scissors. With a snip, she cuts my hair off to ear length. As Candace's lips curve into a smile, my heart thoroughly shatters in my chest. Eight years. For the past eight years, she has taken away something of mine during every Thanksgiving. A rosary necklace Mom gifted me, a beautiful emerald bangle from Grandma—it didn't matter. Even when Candace already has something better than mine, she still wants to take mine. Peter leans over to murmur in my ear, "This is Candace trying to save herself, so we have to go along with her wishes. With us by your side, all those materialistic things aren't important. If it truly bothers you that much, we can always just wait till your hair grows back before we marry." Peter is her psychologist, and turning Thanksgiving into the day everyone spoils Candace is also his idea. The spiciness of the lobster has tears springing to my eyes. Shoving Peter away from me, I rush to the bathroom. As I stare at my messed-up hair and red lips, swollen due to my shellfish allergy, more tears well in my eyes. This time, I'm not waiting for anyone anymore. Chapter 1 Outside the windows, lightning flashed, followed by a rumble of thunder. Due to my allergic reaction, my throat was gradually closing up, and red hives were breaking out on my face as well. "Peter, I'm having an allergic reaction—" "Look at how heavy the rain is! Quick, send Candace back home." My parents—Michael Zinch and Sarah Jones—and Peter scurried about busily as they helped my adopted younger sister, Candace Lane, pack her things. Thus, not a single one of them noticed that I was currently having an allergic reaction. In no time, the trunk of the car had been stuffed full of the gifts Mom and Dad had gotten for Candace over the past year. They had even tossed in three of the new clothes I had bought. "Selena is always wearing her uniform, so it's not like she has the time to wear these!" Before departing, my fiancé, Peter Lipton, finally remembered me. "Selena, what's wrong with you? Oh right! You're allergic to shellfish!" His eyes immediately filled with regret, but when he reached out to grab me, I avoided his hand. "I don't need your help." I steadied myself against the wall, my voice so hoarse that it was barely recognizable. He retracted his hand and continued helping Candace get ready to leave. "Mr. and Mrs. Zinch, I'll be taking Candace home first. Please hurry and take Selena to a clinic for some medication." Then, he patted my head, his eyes filled with aching tenderness. "Be good. You'll be fine. I'll be back soon, okay?" With that, he slid into his car and sped off with Candace. As it became harder to breathe, I lunged forward to grab Mom. "Mom, take me to the hospital…" However, Mom took her hand out of her pocket and frowned. "Oh no! I forgot to give Candace this gold pendant I'd made for her. She already told me that she wanted one last year. Michael, quick, call Peter and tell them to wait for me. I'll bring it over to them right away." Following that, Mom grabbed an umbrella and rushed off into the rain. "Hey! That umbrella is too small! Wait for me!" Just like that, Dad chased after Mom, leaving me completely alone in the living room. It was growing increasingly difficult to breathe. I leaned against the wall and slowly slid down it as my vision began to darken. Despite my multiple attempts to call Peter, I was notified that he was in another call at that time. With a thump, my phone dropped to the floor as I slumped over, losing consciousness. Right before I was completely dragged under the darkness, the video I had received before dinner played back in my mind. "We only just learned that Candace doesn't actually have depression. She had a friend write that doctor's letter confirming her diagnosis. I think it was a psychologist called Dr. Lipton or something like that, and he works at your hospital. She also said that… that no matter if it was the Zinch or Lane family, her parents had to love her the most…" … The harsh chemical scent of bleach assaulted my nose, instantly causing me to choke. I coughed violently, tears springing to my eyes. Upon noticing that I had regained consciousness, Peter pulled me into a hug, his eyes red-rimmed. Chapter 2 "Selena, you're finally awake! This is all my fault. I clearly knew that you couldn't take shellfish, yet I still had you eat it. But things were pretty urgent, and I honestly had no other choice. Now that you're awake, get ready and come with me for a bit." I pushed him away, a guarded look in my eyes. "Why?" The terrible rasp in my voice caused his brow to furrow slightly. "Candace, she… After she got home last night, she slit her wrist. Luckily, she was discovered in time and didn't succeed in ending her own life. "She said it was because you hesitated last night when she asked for your long hair to make a wig. Then you ended up hospitalized after eating that lobster. She feels that her very existence is making you suffer, and she didn't want you to experience what she once went through." Peter slowly raised his head to look at me. He couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes. "Selena, you really let us all down last night." His words stabbed deep into my heart. For eight years, Candace had put on the suicide act countless times. Every time she cut her wrists, she would be discovered just in time and rescued. At first, I had thought it was real too. Now, I realized that it had all been a trick to take everything that was mine. Peter took out the hair that had been cut off last night and shoved it into my hand. "Come on. You need to take this to Candace yourself. Tell her you worked the night shift the day before and weren't in your right mind. Tell her that that was why your reaction was delayed." He had barely finished speaking when Dad and Mom rushed into the room. "Alright, that's enough! What's taking so long? Hurry up! Candace has been waiting for a while now." Mom dragged me out of bed and yanked the hospital gown off me. "Better not let Candace know that you're hospitalized." She pulled so roughly that the IV needle snapped off inside my vein. Pain shot through me, instantly causing my eyes to redden. "Mom, wait…" My voice was thick with tears. Blood dripped down my fingers and onto the floor. Nonetheless, Mom didn't even pause in her tracks. "Room 506 is upstairs. There are too many people waiting for the elevators, so we'll take the stairs." "Mom, I'm supposed to still be on an IV drip…" "You can continue after we return. A little delay won't make a difference." In no time, Mom and Dad had forced me to climb the stairs from the first floor all the way to the fifth. The whole time, Peter followed behind us, not saying a word. A few minutes later, we arrived at Candace's room. Her complexion was rosy, and the wound on her wrist had already closed up even without applying anything to it. "Quick, apologize properly to your younger sister. Tell her that you're more than willing to give her your hair and that you voluntarily ate that lobster yourself." I stopped moving and mustered all the strength I had to tear my arms from their hold. "No, I refuse. The hair is mine, and I definitely didn't willingly eat that lobster!" Mom slapped me across the face with a sharp crack. "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't you want Candace to get better? As her older sister, how could you be so selfish? Don't tell me you enjoy it when she has an episode? Hurry up and go! If anything happens to Candace, you can forget about coming home with us!" Mom was beyond anxious and furious. As for Peter, he simply stared at me. Not once did he speak up for me. With sheer force of will, I dragged myself toward the elevator and pressed the "down" button. Dad and Mom kept tugging at me, but I bit my lip and remained firm. I absolutely refused to go over. "Mom, Lena… what are you guys doing?" Everyone froze. Candace, however, seemed oblivious as she made her way over to me and took the cut hair from me. "Lena, I knew that you didn't mean it yesterday. As if you would be unwilling to gift me your hair, right?" She gazed at me with an innocent smile, though I saw the smugness that lurked in her eyes. Everyone turned to me, their expressions twisted in anxiety. I shook my head. "No. This is my hair, and I don't plan on gifting it to anybody!" A smirk crossed Candace's face when she heard that, but it was gone in an instant. Chapter 3 "Dad, Mom, looks like it's true. Nobody likes me, and even Lena blames me for taking what's hers. What's the point of living, then? I want to die!" With that, Candace darted into the stairwell and made a mad dash for the roof of the hospital. That sent my parents and Peter into a panic. They hurriedly chased after Candace, but I called out to stop Peter. "You're going too? Even though you clearly know that Candace is just pretending to have depression?" Peter paused in his tracks, his eyes flashing with surprise. However, he regained his composure quickly. "You don't understand. Candace has been through so much and suffered terribly. Even though the results say that she's normal, I know that she's genuinely sick. What you did today could ruin all the progress we've made. Selena Zinch, you've never been a good older sister." Then, he rushed off as well, not even sparing me another glance. His words pinned me to the spot. I had no idea how much time had passed before two nurses making their rounds came out of Candace's room. "She's back again. It's been years. Doesn't she get tired of keeping up this act?" "If you ask me, Dr. Lipton should just marry her already. Otherwise, why would he risk his hard-earned reputation and disregard so many other specialists' objections to diagnose her with depression?" "Shh! Keep it down. We wouldn't want others to hear you. It would be bad if this reaches Lena's ears." The two nurses hastily scurried off after that. At that moment, two notifications popped up on my phone. "Dr. Peter Lipton rejected the certification for Selena Zinch's diagnosis of moderate depression." "Dr. Aaron Liese approved the certification for Selena Zinch's diagnosis of moderate depression." After reading those two messages, I tossed that bunch of hair straight into the nearby trash bin. … Once I had tended to my injury, I headed for the nurses' station. Staring at the volunteer application that had been on my desk for the past week, I signed it without any further hesitation. When I handed it in, everyone tried to talk me out of it. "Lena, why are you suddenly willing to go?" "You had so many good opportunities in the past, yet you never once went because you said that your parents wouldn't be able to bear letting you go." "That's right. And what about Dr. Lipton? Would he agree to this? Aren't you two getting married in six months?" The questions slammed into me like physical blows and threatened to drown me. Just then, I received a message from Peter. "Lena, your parents have gone home to make some nourishing soup for Candace, so I'm going to stay here and keep her company. If you have nothing going on, switch to the night shift and come up here to be with her too." Digging my nails deep into my palms, I forced a smile onto my face. "It's not like we're in any hurry to get married. The wedding can wait. Besides, this is a great opportunity. If I give it up again, I won't get another chance." With that, I handed the application to the head nurse, Janice Bolton. "Janice, I'm sorry for letting so many opportunities slip by before." Janice studied me briefly before nodding. "Go ahead and start handing off your duties, since you leave tomorrow. You have to check in the day after tomorrow, so you should still make it in time. Though it'll be difficult and dangerous for you, I know that this might be a sort of release for you instead." Understanding shone in her eyes, along with a hint of sympathy and heartache. I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and shot her a smile. "I know. Thanks, Janice." Half an hour later, my phone began to buzz madly with a series of messages. "Lena, have you found someone to swap shifts with you yet?" "Hurry up and get up here. I need to go to work." "You know Candace doesn't like strangers touching her." "Get up here, now!" I didn't bother replying, though I did set it so that only messages from him would be muted. By 5:00 pm, I had handed off most of my duties. Janice had helpfully switched my shift so that I could go home and pack. However, just as I reached the front doors of the hospital, Peter appeared. He walked toward me with a smile, then informed me, "Lena, I've talked it over with your parents. From now on, you won't need to swap shifts so that you can keep Candace company." Taking my bag from me, he then held my hand just like he had many times before. "Babe, you've been way too exhausted lately, and your job doesn't have any career advancement prospects. So we've decided that you should just quit and focus on taking care of Candace. Compared to hiring an outsider, your parents and I would all feel more at ease if you were the one looking after her." Pain from the injury on the back of my hand stabbed through me, and I flung his hand away from me. "No." Chapter 4 A hint of surprise flickered in Peter's eyes at my firm tone. "Lena, do you understand what you're saying? Candace is your sister! What future could you possibly have if you stay at this hospital? If you truly find it so boring, then once Candace has recovered, I'll think of a way to get you a job back here." He leaned closer and pinched my cheek. "Alright, stop throwing a fit. Is your period about to come or something? Anyway, you're interested in psychology, right? I signed you up for a training course that starts the day after tomorrow. That way, you'll finally understand just how difficult it is for someone with depression." He had signed me up for that course only because he wanted me to take care of Candace, who didn't even have depression. As he shot me an expectant look, waiting for my answer, I gave him a smile. "Okay. I'll leave the hospital next week." … Within moments, news of this had been sent to our family group chat. "About time you quit! What's so great about being a lousy nurse? You're marrying Peter soon anyway. You would've had to quit eventually to take care of the household. This just moves it up, which isn't a bad thing." "How wonderful! From now on, Candace won't have to deal with other nurses. As her older sister, you should've thought of doing this long ago!" On the way home, Peter chose the longest route possible, and I ended up puking three times during the drive. When we finally arrived, it was to a lively atmosphere. Candace came up to me with a bouquet. "Happy resignation, Lena." In the next second, Peter brought out a cake. "Happy birthday, Lena." So, Peter had taken the long way around on purpose, to give Candace time to get all this ready. Yet, the house had been decorated in pink—Candace's favorite color, not mine. Besides that, the table full of seafood was no different than poison to me. When I appeared unmoved at their actions, Candace hooked her arm through mine. "Lena, once you leave for the training course, you won't be able to come home and celebrate your birthday. That's why I had Mom and Dad throw a celebration for you ahead of time." Then, she held a report out to me. "Oh, and you always wanted Peter to certify your depression diagnosis, right? I got him to do it for you. It'll definitely make it easier for you to quit." She had said those words so casually, yet they sliced my heart wide open. As it turned out, Peter was able to certify a diagnosis even without one answering 100 questions first. Staring down at the report that had been shoved into my hand, I tried my best to keep my voice steady. "Thank you, but I don't want to celebrate my birthday today." With that, I went to my room and locked the door from the inside. As I expected, it wasn't long before a shriek rang out outside. "Dad, Mom, Lena hates me, doesn't she? It's all my fault! I shouldn't have come back!" "No, it's not your fault! You went to great lengths to prepare all this for her! Lena's the one being inconsiderate and ungrateful!" "Candace, put the fork down!" "Selena Zinch, get out here and apologize to your sister! NOW!" "Lena! Do you have any idea what you're doing?" "Candace! No! Don't do it!" Moments later, the house fell silent, and I heard a car engine start. They were taking Candace to the hospital. Again. They didn't come back, even the next day. Dad, Mom, and Peter were all berating me in the group chat, calling me inconsiderate and immature. I didn't answer any of their messages. I simply took a small suitcase with me and left this house behind to head for the disaster area. … Two weeks later, the disaster relief operation was still ongoing. A reporter suddenly shoved a microphone in my face. "Hello, may I ask how long you've been here? Is there anything you would like to say to your family?" I stared into the camera calmly. "No. I don't have a family." On the other side of the screen, Peter dropped the tray he was holding, and food scattered across the floor. "What? Didn't Lena go for the training course?" At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was Candace's biological parents. "We're so sorry. This is our fault for failing to correct Candace's behavior. Michael, we're truly sorry that your daughter had to suffer so much." With that, Kevin Lane, Candace's biological father, handed Peter three reports. Feeling rather uneasy, Peter took them and began reading. When he was done, he couldn't stop his hands from trembling. "So those test results were accurate? Candace is pretending to have depression, while Selena actually has it?"