Sorry for Being Brutally Honest

I have always been the type to take people at their word. In fact, I've never been good at reading between the lines. Back in middle school, a girl deliberately slipped a cheat sheet into my hand. "Hold this for me. The teacher's coming," she whispers. She probably expects me to panic and stuff it into my pocket. Instead, I raise my hand. "This belongs to her. She just put it in my hand," I declare. Years later, after I start working, a new manager begins auditing the accounts. My colleague, Wendy Boyer, keeps stomping on my foot under the table. Lowering her voice, she whispers, "Just take the blame for now. You're still new, so he won't come down too hard on you." I nod, stand up, and look straight at our manager. "Wendy's the one who's been taking kickbacks. She said newcomers wouldn't be punished too harshly. You're new too, aren't you? Why don't you take the blame for her?" From that day on, no one in the office ever tried whispering anything to me again. That lasted until my biological parents finally found me and brought me home. They even threw a belated homecoming banquet to formally welcome me into the family. My supposed sister, Adeline Holmes, completely ignores the place card with my name on it and takes the seat between my parents. She loops her arm through Mom's and smiles at me. "I've sat here for the past 21 years. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" she asks. Everyone waits for me to take the hint and quietly move to another seat. Instead, I look at her in all seriousness and ask, "Why would you think I'd mind? Is it because this is where the biological daughter is supposed to sit?" She presses her lips together and says nothing. So, I continue, "If that's the case, you've already had it for 21 years. Isn't it about time you gave it back to me?" Chapter 1 The banquet hall instantly fell silent after I, Sylvia Holmes, finished speaking. The relatives who had been chatting just moments ago immediately lowered their heads and busied themselves with their drinks. The smile on Adeline Holmes' face—my supposed sister—froze. "I was just joking, Sylvia," she said. "Which part of the joke was supposed to be funny?" I asked. "That's not what I meant…" "Then what exactly were you trying to say?" Adeline stared at me for a few seconds as her eyes gradually reddened. My eldest brother, Lucian Holmes, came over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Today's supposed to be a happy occasion, Sylvia. Don't get hung up on every little word," he said. "I'm not," I replied. I pointed at the place card on the table before continuing, "My seat was right next to Mom's. Adeline moved my place card, took my seat, and then asked if I minded. "None of you see a problem with that?" A frown crossed Lucian's face. "It's just a seat. What difference does it make where you sit?" "Then why can't she sit somewhere else?" "She's just used to sitting between Mom and Dad," he explained. "Just because she's used to it, does that give her the right to take something that belongs to someone else?" I asked. My question left Lucian speechless. Mom finally reached out and took my hand. "Adeline's been sitting with us ever since she was little. She didn't mean any harm." "I never said she did. I'm just asking when she plans to get up," I replied. Mom's grip on my hand tightened as Adeline immediately got to her feet. "I'll move now. No matter what, Sylvia's your biological daughter. I shouldn't have been sitting here in the first place." Her eyes were red as she pushed the chair back. The chair legs scraped against the floor with a harsh, grating sound. She'd barely taken two steps when Mom hurried after her and caught her by the arm. "That's not what I meant. You're not feeling well, so don't get yourself worked up over this," Mom said. My second-eldest brother, Nathan Holmes, immediately stepped in front of Adeline, while my third-eldest brother, Marcus Holmes, shot me a glare. "Are you satisfied now?" he snapped. I looked at them before replying, "She's the one who took my seat. All I did was ask when she was going to give it back. How did that turn into me bullying her?" Marcus' expression instantly darkened at my words. "You know perfectly well that Adeline's greatest fear is being kicked out of the family, yet you still had to rub it in that she isn't related to us." "She's the one who brought it up. Those were her words, not mine. Why am I being accused of upsetting her over something she said?" I questioned. Marcus opened his mouth to retort, only to find himself at a loss for words. Just then, Adeline clutched her chest as her breathing quickened. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have come to Sylvia's homecoming banquet. You're the real family here. I'll leave," she choked out. With that, she turned and ran from the hall. Mom and all three of my brothers immediately rushed after her. Dad remained in the seat of honor, his expression grim. "It's been three years since you've been back. Why can't you get along with everyone?" I looked at the four empty chairs before me. "This is supposed to be my homecoming banquet, right?" "Of course," he replied. "Then why did they all leave?" He rubbed his temples at my question. "Adeline isn't feeling well." "Nathan's a doctor. He could've handled it on his own," I pointed out matter-of-factly. "Your mother's worried about her too." "What about Lucian and Marcus?" I asked. Dad didn't answer. I waited for a moment before continuing, "Your biological daughter gets into an argument with your adopted daughter at her own homecoming banquet, yet the entire family runs after Adeline. "So, who exactly are you welcoming home today?" Dad slammed his hand down on the table. "That's enough!" he snapped. I nodded. "Alright." He froze for a moment. For the first time in the three years since I'd returned to the Holmes family, I stopped pressing for answers. Chapter 2 Just like that, the homecoming banquet I'd been looking forward to for three years ended in less than an hour. When I returned to the Holmes residence, Adeline was leaning back on the couch, sipping water. Mom sat beside her as she gently patted her back, while all three of my brothers hovered around her as though she'd just come out of the emergency room. I'd just changed my shoes when Mom called out to me. "Sylvia, come over here and apologize to Adeline." I walked over and replied, "What exactly am I apologizing for?" Mom's hand stilled at my words. Marcus let out a cold scoff. "Do you really need someone to spell it out for you?" he snapped. "Yes, I do. Otherwise, I might end up apologizing for the wrong thing. Is it because I asked her why she took my seat? Or because I didn't offer to give it up for her?" I asked, holding his gaze. Marcus shot to his feet. "There you go again. You always have to pick apart every single word we say until you make things awkward for everyone in the family." "Whoever says something unreasonable should be the one feeling awkward. What's wrong with that?" I questioned. "Family isn't about who's right or wrong." "Then what is it about?" "It's about love! Feelings!" he argued. I kept my gaze on Marcus and asked, "I've been back for three years. You were there for all three of her birthdays, but never once for mine. "So, when you talk about love, do you mean the love all of you have for Adeline?" Marcus' face flushed bright red. "I had something going on back then." I started counting them off on my fingers. "The first time, you took Adeline to a concert. The second, she'd had a fight with a friend. The third, her cat wouldn't eat. "Which of those had anything to do with you?" He had nothing to say to that. Adeline set down her glass and said softly, "You sure remember everything, don't you?" "Of course. After all, my birthday only comes once a year," I replied. A flicker of discomfort crossed Mom's face. "Sylvia, just because we used to spend more time with Adeline doesn't mean you need to bring up every little thing from the past." "That's hardly in the past. My last birthday was two months ago." Silence settled over the living room once more. Unable to stand it anymore, Lucian pushed a box toward me. "The homecoming banquet didn't go as planned, so this is for you." I opened the box to find a pearl necklace inside. Adeline's expression changed as her hand instinctively flew to the emerald pendant hanging around her neck. I'd seen the pendant before. The first time Mom came to see me, she'd shown me a photo of it and said, "The Holmes family had this made especially for you. You went missing when you were little, so I've kept it safe for you all these years." I pointed at the pendant around Adeline's neck. "Why does she have my pendant?" "Adeline got seriously ill when she was 18 years old. I wanted her to have something for comfort, so I let her wear it for the time being," Mom quickly explained. "And how long has it been since then?" "It's… It's been three years." "So, when is she giving it back?" I questioned. Adeline immediately reached to take it off when Mom stopped her. "It's just a pendant, Sylvia. If you like it, I'll buy you another one." "I don't need another pendant. What I'm asking is, why did you give her something you said you'd save for me?" Her eyes reddened. "At the time, I thought we'd never find you." "But you have now. So, why hasn't she given it back?" I asked as I held her gaze. Tears spilled from Adeline's eyes. "I'll give it back to Sylvia," she choked out. Mom stopped her immediately. "I was the one who gave this to you. You don't have to return it." Nodding, I set the pearl necklace back on the table. "I get it now." My response seemed to catch Mom off guard. "What do you mean?" "You never really meant to save that pendant for me, and this necklace isn't compensation either. "You just want me to accept something new so that I'll stop asking what happened to the things that were supposed to be mine," I said. Dad just so happened to walk in as I finished speaking. Hearing my last sentence, he frowned. "What's all this about now?" "Sylvia's insisting that Adeline give her the pendant she's wearing," Marcus immediately cut in. "That's not what I said," I corrected Marcus. "I was only trying to confirm whether it belongs to me. If it doesn't, I don't want it. If it does, then it should be returned to its rightful owner. Is that really so hard to understand?" There was a pause before Dad spoke up again. "We can talk about the pendant another time. Tomorrow, we'll get your family registry sorted out." I looked at him. I'd been back with the Holmes family for three years, yet my registration was still tied to my old family back in the small town where I'd grown up. Every time I brought it up, they claimed the paperwork was complicated. Adeline chuckled softly. "After all this time, you're finally going to be added to the family registry." I turned my gaze to her. "What do you mean 'finally'?" Her smile faded at my words. "I'm just happy for you." "But the way you said it tells me that you knew it'd been delayed for a long time. Do you know why it took so long?" She quickly avoided my gaze. "All of us will be going tomorrow," Mom immediately cut in. "By that, do you mean Dad, Mom, and all three of my brothers?" I confirmed. Lucian nodded in response. "We'll all be there," he replied. Marcus leaned back against the couch, his tone impatient. "We're just adding you to the family registry. Do you really have to name every single one of us?" "Yes, I do. I don't want anyone suddenly coming down with a stomachache, feeling dizzy, or having a cat that refuses to eat tomorrow." I met each of their gazes in turn. Adeline's face went pale at my words. "That won't happen. This time, no one's leaving," Mom promised as she took my hand. Chapter 3 The next day, we arrived at the registry office at 9:00 am. Adeline came along with everyone else. She said she wanted to be there when I officially became part of the Holmes family. The clerk took our documents and began going through them. Halfway through, she looked up at Dad. "We're still missing one document to prove your relationship." Dad turned to look at Lucian. "Didn't I ask you to prepare it?" Lucian rummaged through the folder for a while before his expression shifted. "I left it on the desk in the study." "We're already here. Can't you just process it first?" Marcus couldn't help cutting in. The clerk shook her head before explaining, "The system won't let me proceed without all the required documents." "It's all my fault. Lucian was helping me find my medication last night. He probably got caught up with that and forgot about it," Adeline immediately chimed in. I looked at her. "Why's that your fault?" My question seemed to have caught her off guard. "I didn't mean anything by it." "Lucian helped you find your medication, but he's also the one who forgot to bring the document. When you say it's your fault, are you trying to take the blame for his mistake? "Or are you just trying to remind me that he forgot about my paperwork because he was too busy taking care of you?" I asked. A frown immediately crossed Lucian's face. "Adeline's not as calculating as you make her out to be." "Then what did she mean by that?" "She just feels guilty, that's all." "But she never even touched the document. What does she have to feel guilty about?" I pressed. By then, Lucian was starting to lose his patience. "Fine, it was my fault. Happy now?" he snapped. "That's fine by me," I replied. I made a note of the missing document on my phone before adding, "We'll come back this afternoon." Marcus rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You really have to make a problem out of everything, don't you?" "It's my family registry we're talking about. If I don't take it seriously, who will?" None of them had an answer to that. Dad sent the chauffeur back to retrieve the missing document. Adeline's phone rang after we'd been waiting in the lobby for 20 minutes. The moment she looked at the screen, all the color drained from her face. "I'll be heading back first, Mom," she said. Mom caught her by the arm. "What's wrong?" "It's nothing." But the more Adeline insisted she was fine, the faster her tears fell. Nathan took the phone from her. On the screen was the surveillance footage from the home, showing several workers carrying things out of her room. Mom immediately turned to look at Dad. "Who told them to clear out Adeline's room?" she demanded. Dad looked taken aback. "Last night, I told the housekeeper to get Sylvia's childhood bedroom ready for her," he replied. Adeline bit her lip before choking out, "It's okay. That room was Sylvia's to begin with. If my things get thrown away, so be it." Mom grew agitated the moment she heard that. "Who said anything about throwing your things away?" With that, Mom grabbed her bag and headed for the exit. Lucian and Marcus immediately followed Mom out. Nathan spared me a glance before leaving. "Adeline has anxiety. A sudden change to her room could trigger an episode," he explained. "You're a doctor. Wouldn't it be enough for you to stay with her?" I replied. Then, I turned to the other two. "Do either of you know how to treat anxiety too?" Gritting his teeth, Marcus snapped, "How could you stop us from leaving when Adeline's crying her eyes out?" "I'm not stopping you. You were the ones who promised you wouldn't leave until I was added to the family registry. So, why are you leaving now?" Mom stopped in her tracks. "We can take care of the family registry this afternoon. Adeline's having a really hard time now." "I'm having a hard time too," I said quietly. She froze at my words. "All of you leave the moment she's unwell. But when I'm upset, all my problems can wait until the afternoon. It's because she's sick, isn't it? "So long as she's sick, everything that matters to me has to come second." Mom's lips parted as if she wanted to say something when Adeline suddenly crouched down. She clutched at her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. This time, no one answered me. Mom and all three of my brothers immediately crowded around her. Even Dad had stepped aside to take a call from work. A few minutes later, they'd all left the registry office with Adeline. Dad turned back to me before he left. "Just wait for the chauffeur to bring the document here. We'll come back as soon as we've taken care of this." "How long will that take?" I asked. "Don't make such a big deal out of it." "Give me a rough estimate." Dad's expression immediately darkened. "How am I supposed to know?" he snapped. Just like that, the elevator doors slid shut in front of them. Still holding my stack of documents, the clerk asked cautiously, "Do you still want to proceed?" I glanced through the glass doors only to see that their car had already pulled away. Not one of the five people who'd promised to be there when I officially became part of the family yesterday had stayed behind. I took back the application form. Seemingly convinced I'd changed my mind, she suggested, "You can just leave the documents here and come back another time." "There's no need for that." With that, I tore off the page requesting the transfer of my registration to the Holmes family. "Can I ask you something? I don't want to be added to the Holmes family registry anymore. If I want to transfer my registration, is there somewhere else I can register instead?" I asked. Chapter 4 The clerk told me I could register independently through my employer. I'd been working in the city for six years, and all my Social Security and employment records were in order. It turned out I still had somewhere I belonged even if I didn't join the Holmes family registry. I called Brenda Monroe, the company's HR, and explained the situation. She immediately sent me the employer verification letter I needed. "You should've told us sooner. This is easy enough on our end," she replied. I stared at the electronic document on my phone. What the Holmes family had put off for three years took only 15 minutes to settle. By 2:00 pm that same afternoon, I'd received confirmation that my application had been accepted for processing. The family group chat, however, remained completely silent. The last message was still the one Mom had sent that morning. "We're welcoming Sylvia home today. No one's allowed to miss dinner tonight," she texted. All five of them had replied with the exact same message. "Noted." I stared at their identical replies for a few seconds before muting every single one of them. The living room was empty when I returned to the Holmes residence. The housekeeper, Blake Sanford, was directing the workers to move Adeline's belongings back into the room. An awkward look flashed across his face the moment he saw me. "Ms. Sylvia, Mrs. Holmes wanted to hold off on the room changes for now. After all, Ms. Adeline's still rather distressed," he said. "Alright," I replied. Taken aback, he asked, "Aren't you going to ask why?" "I've got it." I went upstairs to pack my things, though there wasn't much to pack in the first place. I'd arrived here with a single suitcase three years ago. Now, I was leaving with the same suitcase in hand. The dresses in my closet still had their tags on. Mom had brought them in Adeline's size by mistake before passing them on to me. The men's watch on my desk had originally been a gift from Lucian to Marcus. He'd accidentally bought two, so the extra one ended up with me. Nathan had once given me a box of sleeping pills, not knowing I was allergic to one of the ingredients in them. As for Marcus, he'd never given me anything. In fact, the first thing he'd said when we met was, "Adeline's timid, so don't think you can bully her just because you're our biological sister." I left everything that wasn't mine behind. All I took were my documents, my laptop, and the old photo album Grandma had left me. Blake followed me to the door. "Where are you going?" he asked. "I'm moving out." "Do Mr. and Mrs. Holmes know about this?" "No, they don't," I replied. "In that case, I'll have to give them a call." "Go ahead. And while you're at it, tell them the guest room is empty now." I placed the room key in his hand as I spoke. Blake's expression instantly changed. "This isn't a guest room. It's your bedroom." "My name isn't on the door. Not a single piece of clothing in the closet fits me. I've lived here for three years, and everyone still calls it the guest room. Tell me, what about it looks like my bedroom?" I asked him seriously. Blake had no answer to that. Adeline returned with the whole family fussing over her just as I dragged my suitcase downstairs. Her cheeks were rosy, and she even had a cup of coffee in hand. She stopped in her tracks the moment she saw my suitcase. "Where are you going, Sylvia?" she asked. "I'm moving out." Mom hurried over and grabbed hold of my suitcase. "Is this because we didn't stay with you while you handled the registry today?" "It's not just about today," I replied. "Then tell me. What else is there?" she pressed. I held her gaze. "Adeline got to keep my room because she was used to it, just like how she was given the pendant because she'd been sick. Everyone left my homecoming banquet to go after her because she felt unwell. "When it was time to update my family registry, all of you decided to return home with Adeline because she has anxiety. There's always some reason why she has to come first." Mom's eyes reddened at my words. "Why didn't you tell me sooner if it bothered you this much?" "I did. But all of you said I was just making a big deal out of nothing," I replied. Her hand stiffened on the suitcase handle. Lucian stepped in front of the door to block my way out. "Put the suitcase down. Whatever the problem is, let's sit down and talk it through," he urged. "What's there for us to talk about?" "You can have the room if you want it. As for the emerald pendant, we'll have Adeline give it back to you too," he continued. The color drained from Adeline's face at his words. "Why didn't you give them back to me when I asked yesterday?" I asked Lucian. "We were all upset at the time," he explained. "Then why are you giving them back to me now? Is it because I'm leaving?" He fell silent. I gave a small nod. "It's not that you suddenly decided I should have them back. You just realized that I'd leave if you didn't return them." Dad strode over with a stern expression. "Sylvia, you're 25 years old. Don't think you can threaten us by running away from home." "It's not a threat." "Then what are you doing with that suitcase?" "I'm just informing all of you that I'm moving out," I answered calmly. Marcus let out an incredulous laugh. "And where exactly are you going to live? Do you even know how much rent costs these days?" "Yes, I do." "If you live alone, who's going to take care of you when you're sick?" he continued. "I've always managed on my own before," I said simply. His laugh died in his throat. Just then, Adeline walked over and reached for my hand. "Please don't let me come between you and the family. Whatever you want, I'll give it back to you," she pleaded. I lowered my gaze to her hand. "Since you're taking all the blame, I suppose you know you're part of the reason I'm leaving." Adeline immediately let go of my hand. "That's not what I meant," she said quickly. "Then what exactly are you trying to imply?" A few words were all it took for her eyes to redden again. Mom instinctively pulled Adeline behind her. The moment she did, even Mom seemed taken aback by her own reaction. I glanced at the way she had positioned herself protectively in front of Adeline. This time, I didn't press any further. Dad was about to say something when my phone rang. It was my company, calling to remind me to come back and sign the employer registry confirmation form. I wheeled my suitcase past them and headed for the door as Dad's furious voice rang out behind me. "Don't expect us to come get you if you walk out that door today!" he warned. "Fine," I replied. Just like that, everyone behind me suddenly fell silent.