Mask of Family Ties

2026-03-03

Mindy's high heel ground down on the back of my hand. A cold laugh hissed in my ear. "Mason, can't even take this little pain? Have you forgotten your sister's still in the hospital, waiting for the money?" I bit down hard on my lip, saying nothing. The coppery taste of blood spread across my tongue. She suddenly knelt down and grabbed my chin, her fingers digging in. "Be good, and I'll give you a raise next time. Enough for Grace's medicine for three whole days." I'd just wrenched free when my phone blared. Grace's voice came through, thick with sobs. "Mason! The doctor said I can't stop taking the medicine. Where's the money?" "Almost there," I croaked, my chest tight and heavy. "What do you mean almost there?" Her tone sharpened instantly. "Aren't you even trying? I don't care—you have to send the money tonight. If you don't... I'll..." "If I don't what?" I cut her off suddenly, days of humiliation surging up inside me. "I've thrown away my dignity for you! Can't you just wait a little longer?" Silence hung on the line for two seconds. Then Grace's voice softened, forced and fake. "Mason, I'm scared... I'm so afraid my condition will get worse again." My heart was just about to melt when a faint, muffled voice seeped through the receiver—sounded just like Bruce. "Grace, stop pretending. Mason he's..." The call cut off abruptly. I clutched my phone, my heart plummeting into the pit of my stomach. Just then, a message pinged from Mindy. "Want to know your sister's true colors? Be at our usual spot tonight, 10 p.m. sharp."收起

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Chapter 1 of "Mask of Family Ties"

The phone's ringtone shattered the stillness of the early morning as I stared blankly at my sister Grace Lynn's medical records. On the other end of the line was my father's company assistant, their voice trembling uncontrollably. "Mr. Mason Lynn, your parents... were caught in a terrorist attack while on a business trip abroad. They didn't survive." The medical records slipped from my hands and scattered on the floor, leaving only a buzzing in my ears. After that day, the sky above our home fell completely apart. The company my father left behind was long insolvent, and the creditors came knocking with increasing frequency. Grace Lynn completely broke down after learning of our parents' death. She curled up in a corner, clutching a photo of our parents, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, repeatedly whispering, "Don't leave me." "Grace, don't be afraid, I'm here." I knelt before her, gently patting her back. She suddenly pushed me away, her eyes hollow: "Who are you? Where are my parents? Where did you hide them?" I could only bear the ache in my chest, comforting her over and over. The cost of the mental hospital, combined with the company's debts, pressed down on me so heavily I could barely breathe. I quit my clerical job and worked at the construction site moving bricks by day, then ran a stall at the night market by night. When utterly exhausted, just thinking of Grace Lynn lying on her sickbed gave me the strength to keep going.