Chapter 1: Third Year in the Psychiatric Hospital

In her third year at the psychiatric hospital, the assistant nurse frowned as she walked down the hallway, kicking aside the patients huddled together in a grotesque game of human stacking. Their distorted screams scattered as the woman at the bottom was revealed, curled and motionless. Her hair obscured her face; her eyes were vacant as she heard the nurse's harsh words.

“1030, you’ve got visitors. Get up and clean yourself.”

Home… was she referring to the family who had abandoned her here for three years? They were no longer her family.

Seeing the woman remain still, the nurse impatiently yanked her up by the hair. “Are you trying to die? Can’t you hear me?”

Yunice Saunders hugged her head as she was roughly dragged to the bathroom. The nurse turned on the high-pressure shower, spraying Yunice, crouched in the corner, like an animal in a cage.

Twenty minutes later, Yunice was taken to the visitation room. “Mr. Owen, 1030 is here.”

Yunice’s blank gaze fell on the man sitting on the couch, hands clasped, elbows on his knees, his frown conveying annoyance and suppressed emotion. This was her older brother, Owen Saunders.

Yunice's parents had fought before her birth, and her mother left after delivering her. Her father, searching for his wife in vain, died when Yunice was thirteen. Oscar and Owen Saunders then raised Yunice, vowing to protect her. Now, seeing this familiar face, Yunice felt a sharp pain, yet her gaze remained cold. Grief was real, but so was resentment; Owen had sent her here.

Owen, too, looked at Yunice. He'd imagined a repentant reunion, his sister throwing herself into his arms. Instead, she stood coldly. His joy at bringing her home curdled; she hadn't even greeted him.

He hesitated, then spoke in an annoyed tone. “Elsie misses you. She begged me to bring you home. From today, you can leave.” When Yunice finally reacted, his tone changed. “But there’s a condition. Once home, you mustn't trouble Elsie.”

Yunice's face fell. Did they believe that appeasing Elsie White would restore normalcy? Elsie had played a significant role in her confinement.

Five years prior, police had returned Yunice's mother, missing for fifteen years, along with Elsie, a year younger than Yunice. Yunice learned her mother had been kidnapped, Elsie the child she’d been forced to bear—her half-sister.

The family reunion deeply moved Oscar and Owen, who accepted Elsie readily. Initially, Yunice embraced Elsie wholeheartedly, but Elsie constantly schemed against her. To avoid upsetting her brothers and mother, Yunice endured.

Three years ago, trapped in a fire, Elsie had insisted on saving her. Owen, reaching them first, snatched the gas mask from Yunice’s face to give to Elsie, carrying Elsie out while leaving the near-unconscious Yunice behind. Elsie then taunted Yunice, claiming she'd deliberately entered the fire to test Owen's loyalty. The Saunders family only needed one daughter.

Yunice exposed Elsie, but Elsie threw herself into Owen’s arms, and everyone comforted her, branding Yunice cruel and ungrateful. Elsie then self-inflicted a wound while holding Yunice’s hand. Seeing the knife in Yunice's hand, the family deemed her insane, sending her to the hospital.

Seeing Yunice's bitterness, Owen's anger flared. He'd come to help, but she remained ungrateful. Didn't she want to leave?

“Are you trying to enjoy the ‘good life’ here?”

The "good life"? Yunice was stunned. He had no idea of the reality—the madmen, uncontrolled by law or decency; the clothes ripped, faces poked, the crushing weight of human stacking, the suffocation, the impunity of murder.

Owen hadn't visited in three years; he likely pictured a peaceful rest. He saw her as a liar, a crazy person. Explanations, even scars, wouldn't convince him. The nurses wouldn't admit to the abuse; complaining to them was futile.

Yunice's indifference further irritated Owen. “Your madness isn't cured. Planning revenge on Elsie?”

He wanted a confession, but her coldness suffocated him. In anger, he kicked a nearby kettle toward Yunice. Sparks flew; Yunice jumped back, fear etched on her face, hands hidden.

Owen snapped, “If you dare touch the charcoal, I'll believe you're cured.”

The implication was clear—fear of fire, a consequence of the fire three years ago, would prove her uncured. He knew her fear of fire and pain; she wouldn't dare. As long as she promised not to harm Elsie, he'd forgive her.

But Yunice reached into the fire.

“Who told you to grab it?” Owen pulled her hand away. Her palm was badly burned and bleeding. Seeing her endure the agony silently, Owen froze. She’d always craved his comfort. This was different.

His beloved sister no longer sought him. His heart tightened. “Does it hurt?”

Yunice withdrew her hand, her voice cold. “I’m better. I’m not crazy. Can I leave?”

Owen’s brow furrowed. “I came out of kindness, and you throw a tantrum? You stabbed Elsie, we didn't send you to jail. You think I’ll pamper you because you self-harm?” His anger boiled. “If you want to leave, go ahead.”