Twisted Hearts

Chapter 1

My brother despised me, hated me.

He couldn't accept having a sister with a mental illness.

He often deliberately provoked me into having an episode in front of others, humiliating me.

The phrase he most frequently uttered was, "Caitlin, I really wish you would have an episode and die."

Later, I actually died.

But he went mad.

Every day, he stubbornly mimicked my shameful outbursts, pleading for me to appear in his dreams, even for a moment.

I died on the night of my brother's birthday. My body was cruelly dismembered and thrown into several bags, which were then discarded in different trash bins. For some reason, my soul did not dissipate. In a daze, I drifted back home again.

The house was brightly lit, and everyone was celebrating my brother's birthday. Shane, my brother, was frowning, holding a glass of wine, lost in thought. One of his friends spoke up.

"Shane, where's that crazy sister of yours? Call her out to join us!"

Shane clicked his tongue and downed his drink in one gulp. "She's not home. Who knows where she died."

"What a pity, one less person to mess with. She was always the most enthusiastic about your affairs. It's strange she hasn't come back today. Could something have happened to her?"

Shane sneered. "Something happened? What could possibly happen? It would be best if she died out there. The Nash family doesn't need a crazy person."

Strange, can you still feel heartache after death? Although I knew my brother wished for my death, hearing it again made my heart ache with a thousand tiny stabs.

Brother, as you wished. I really did die. I died on your birthday. Do you think my death is the best birthday gift you could ever receive?

Shane picked up his wine and walked to the balcony, repeatedly checking his phone, seemingly waiting for someone to message him. Ten minutes later, he unlocked his phone and, to my surprise, opened our chat history. It was filled with messages I had sent him, all unanswered.

"Happy Birthday, brother!"

"Today, I'll give you the gift you always wanted."

He hadn't replied. I hadn't sent any more messages either because I was already dead...

I leaned in closer to read the screen, carefully going through our chat history, and let out a self-mocking laugh. Shane's lips were tightly pressed together. After a long hesitation, he typed a few words on the screen.

"Caitlin, are you dead out there? Why aren't you back yet?"

In the past, I would always reply to my brother's messages instantly. This time, fifteen minutes had passed, and he still hadn't received a reply from me. Shane gritted his teeth loudly and smashed his glass with force.

"If you don't come back, just die out there."

I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at the moonlight outside. It was so cold.

Chapter 2

My brother Shane's hatred for me wasn't without reason.

When I was young, I had a severe fever that left me with mental issues. My parents traveled across most of Bleford trying to find a cure for me. The only responses they received were sighs and head shakes from doctors. My mother developed a severe heart condition due to the stress of my illness. She believed it was her negligence that caused me to have an incurable disease from a young age. Every time I had a mental breakdown, she would lock herself in her room and cry for days.

As time went on, my mother's condition worsened. When I was ten, she couldn't hold on any longer and passed away. On the day she died, I had another episode. Because my father and brother were at home taking care of me, they couldn't make it to the hospital to see her one last time. From that moment on, my brother hated me. But with our father at home, he only cursed me when our father wasn't around, deliberately provoking my emotions, making me have breakdowns in front of the whole school.

The students at school gave me the nickname "crazy bitch" because my brain was damaged and I had mental issues. At home, my father seemed the same as before, but I could sense a change in his attitude. He was distant, rarely speaking to me unless necessary. I believed that if it weren't for my mother's dying wish for him to take care of me, he probably wouldn't have bothered with me at all.

Later, my brother grew up and went to college, and my father left too. He took my mother's ashes and went on a journey around the world. He didn't even say goodbye to me before he left, only informing my brother. It was then that I realized my father might hate me just as much as my brother did. He didn't even want to see me before he left. I haven't seen my father in five years now.

I once pleaded with my brother to call our father so I could talk to him. My father never answered my calls. My brother shoved me away with contempt in his eyes. "Caitlin, do you think you deserve to talk to him? Let me tell you, we all wish you were never born!"

"If it weren't for you, Mom wouldn't have died!"

After that, I never asked my brother to call our father again.

Chapter 3

Whenever Shane got angry or upset, he would deliberately provoke my episodes. Seeing me in pain seemed to ease his own. Initially, it made me very sad, but eventually, I stopped feeling that way. If I could help Shane vent his anger and make him happy, didn't that mean I had some value?

So, when Shane provoked me again, I pretended to be in a hundred times more pain than before, just to amuse him. It turned out that the more severe my episodes were, the happier he seemed. Once, I overdid it and ended up foaming at the mouth and passing out. In my daze, I saw Shane looking anxious. When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, with Shane sitting beside me, his eyes slightly red. My heart leapt with a mix of hope and joy.

"Brother, do you still care about me a little?" I thought.

But as soon as our eyes met, his face darkened instantly.

"Caitlin, the doctor said your condition is the same as before, not any worse."

"So, you were faking it, weren't you? Trying to get me to treat you better? Using your illness to blackmail me, right?"

I shook my head, my eyes instantly welling up with tears. I wanted to say, "No, Shane, I wasn't trying to blackmail you. I just wanted to make you happy, not angry..."

Before I could speak, he turned away.

"Caitlin, you disgust me. If it weren't for Mom, do you think I would care about you?"

"It would be better if you were dead, then you wouldn't be a constant nuisance!"

With that, he left. I still remember the sunset that day, so red it was almost blinding. I also remember the damp pillow that night. Brother, do you really hate me that much?

A burst of cheers pulled me back to reality.

"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law is here!"

"Shane, stop drinking, your girlfriend is here."

A beautiful and radiant woman walked through the door. The moment I saw her, I instinctively shrank back, a shiver ran through my soul. She was my brother's girlfriend, Irene. My brother naturally went up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, his eyes softened with a melting tenderness. She smiled and pecked him on the lips.

"Happy birthday, baby!"

She handed him a gift box, which contained a tie. As she helped him put it on, she glanced around.

"Hey, where's our adorable Caitlin?"

My brother snorted coldly.

"Dead outside somewhere, hasn't come home yet."

Irene pouted unhappily and shook my brother's arm.

"Baby! Did you forget what I told you? Don't talk about your sister like that. No matter what, she's still your sister."

"She's your blood relative!"

Mentioning our mom made my brother's face darken to the point where it seemed like it could drip water. I knew he was thinking about the day our mom died again. Because of my episode, he missed seeing Mom one last time.

"Hmph, if it weren't for her, how could Mom have died!"

"Irene, don't mention her, it's bad luck!"

Then he instructed the butler not to let me in even if I came home. I was to be locked outside to reflect on my actions. Seeing that Irene still wanted to say something, one of his friends quickly chimed in.

"Sister-in-law, you're just too kind. Don't you know what kind of person Caitlin is? Today is Shane's birthday, say something to make him happy."

I stood in front of Irene, watching as she curved her lips into a self-satisfied smile.

Irene, are you happy now that I'm gone?