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Ripping off Her Mask
Ripping off Her Mask
Author: Trickster Cat

Chapter 1

Author: Trickster Cat
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-07 20:44:46
To maintain her persona as a beautiful saint, my senior, Kate Horton, tried to comfort a suicidal patient who stood at the edge of a building.

"Your mother is waiting for you," she had said. With just one sentence, she made the patient jump off the building to his death.

Terrified, Kate buried herself in my boyfriend's arms, sobbing, "I'm sorry! I just thought of his poor mother, and…"

The patient had been showing signs of improvement, but because of her, he died.

My mentor, Luke Spencer, and my boyfriend, Brandon Payne, only focused on comforting her.

"It's not your fault. You're too soft-hearted and kind. He's been tormented by his family for years. You just helped him find his peace," they said.

I was furious. "He was showing signs of improvement! Just because you didn't attempt to understand the patient's condition and spoke recklessly, you pushed him to suicide!"

Kate was ashamed. Unable to defend herself, she staged a dramatic act of self-harm.

Luke and Brandon felt sorry for her and pushed me into the public eye to take the blame.

Luke even falsified the medical reports, saying that I had mistreated the patient and caused his sudden breakdown.

Brandon leaked my personal information online, leading the patient's family and angered Internet justice warriors to corner me on the hospital's rooftop.

During the altercation, one of the patient's family members accidentally pushed me off the roof, and I fell to my death.

After dying, I returned to the day when Kate insisted on comforting the suicidal patient.

"Oh, my god! I'm so scared!" Kate screamed as the patient, who had calmed down for a while, suddenly roared in anger, waving his arms around.

She panicked and ran away from the patient, hiding behind Brandon, sobbing, "I… I just mentioned his mother…"

The patient heard her. Upon hearing the word "mother", he quieted, as if he had lost all will to live. He rushed toward the edge of the rooftop.

I snapped back to my senses suddenly. Instinctively, I lunged forward. Just as the patient's feet were about to clear the edge, I managed to grab onto his ankle with one hand. Most of my body was hanging off the edge as I grabbed the railing with my other hand.

Gravity threatened to pull me down. My hand scraped against the rough material of the railing, drawing blood.

The patient kept struggling, clearly disturbed. I tried to smile reassuringly at him. "It's okay. No one can dictate your life now."

The patient quieted down, stunned. Taking the chance, I put all my weight on the hand that was holding on to the railing. My arms were in so much pain that they were numb. Finally, I dragged him back to the rooftop.

Everyone at the scene gasped. It took them a while before they got over the shock and rushed over to secure the dazed patient.

Even Kate had stopped crying.

I wiped the blood off my hands and strode toward her.

With my blood-stained hand, I slapped her hard across the face.

I poured all of my anger and hatred for killing me in my last life into the slap. The force sent her staggering backward, nearly falling to the ground.

Her meticulously styled hair was disheveled. The blood-stained slap mark on her face began swelling.

Stunned, she looked at me in disbelief, her eyes wide.

"You brainless idiot! How could you try to comfort a patient without first understanding their case? He's suicidal. You can't mention his parents in front of him! You almost killed him with your reckless words!"

Kate trembled. She wiped her tears and whimpered, "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry. I just felt sorry for his mother. She must love him so much."

Ever since she joined our department under Luke's mentorship, I'd noticed her patterns.

Under the guise of compassion, she would flaunt what people thought was kindness everywhere, often at the expense of others. When something went wrong, she would act like an innocent victim, garnering everyone's sympathy.

"Amanda, you're going a little too far…"

"Shut up!" I glared at Brandon. In my past life, he had played a significant role in my death, too.

Now, he was so eager to jump in and defend her.

"I am the deputy head of the psychology department," I berated him. "You're not even part of our department. Why are you interfering? I managed to save the patient today, almost dying in the process. If she does this again and causes another death, are you going to take responsibility for her?"

"Amanda." Luke had approached us at some point. He looked displeased. "Kate's new. She doesn't have much experience…"

"Oh, shut up!" I interrupted impatiently. "Are you going to take responsibility for her mistakes?"

Luke was my mentor. He had mentored me throughout my academic career, all the way up to my doctorate degree. I'd always respected him. This was the first time I had retorted so bluntly.

He was taken aback for a moment before anger took over. "Amanda Seville, how dare you speak to me that way? How disrespectful!"

"Disrespectful?" I scoffed. "Do you think your authority is more important than a patient's life, Dr. Spencer?

"Kate Horton has a PhD in psychology as well. She doesn't even know the basics of dealing with mentally unstable patients. What was the point of her education?"

Kate's head was lowered as she sobbed hysterically.

Luke tried to defend her, but I stopped him. "You're her mentor, Dr. Spencer. You share the blame for such a grave mistake! If the patient had died today, our entire department would be in hot water!"

I raised my bloodied palm. "If you dare to stop me from punishing Kate, don't blame me for being brutal!"

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  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 2

    I stood tall in all the glory of righteousness, staring down everyone at the scene.My other colleagues did not dare to intervene."Kate Horton, go back and copy the entire chapter on calming patients by hand ten times. I want you to recite all of it tomorrow at the office. You still remember the chapter from our undergraduate textbooks, right? Useless shit." I turned to leave but paused. "The patient is now under my care. For the next six months, you're not allowed to see any patients alone!""Stop right there!" Luke snapped, his voice regaining its usual authoritative tone. "The patient has been under Kate's care for two months. You have no right to take over. You're stealing her hard work!"I raised my eyebrows, sneering as I turned to point at Kate, who was still crying in Brandon's arms. "Two months, and she still doesn't know what triggers her patient? She almost killed him. You call that hard work?""I didn't—I said I was sorry," Kate sobbed."Sorry? What's the use of th

    Last Updated : 2025-01-07
  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 3

    I had been expecting Mr. Preston to show favoritism, but I hadn't expected it to be so blatant. "So, you already know that people think of her as a joke?"Brandon couldn't take it anymore. He cut me off before I could continue, "Even though this is Kate's first time trying to reassure the patient, he's been under her care all this time. She was just too nervous and felt sorry for his mother, so she misspoke. "This was an accident. Dr. Seville used this to target Kate!"Before I could say anything, Luke added, "Kate was wrong. I can't deny that. As her mentor, I'll make sure to review her knowledge of patient care. "But Amanda tried to take Kate's patient away from her, making all her efforts for the past two months meaningless. That's just too much!"Hearing this, Mr. Preston's expression darkened. He turned to glare at me.He had specially assigned the patient to Kate because of the unique nature of his case. Kate would benefit greatly from it, as he would be an excellent reso

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  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 4

    "James?" Luke and Mr. Preston exclaimed at the same time.The newcomer was James Brennan, my junior, who had joined the hospital as an intern at the same time as Kate."James Brennan, is this how you speak to the dean?" Luke chided with a frown. "Has studying abroad made you forget your manners?"James had studied abroad and was one of the few doctors in this hospital that wasn't under Luke's mentorship. Because of this, Luke had never liked James. He always saw the latter as a privileged rich kid who managed to worm his way into a medical career overseas.James raised his eyebrow, his handsome face outlined with mockery. "You're not a doctor in this hospital, Luke Spencer, and I'm not one of your students. You have no right to tell me off. Is this how hospitals here work, then? Does being a mentor allow you to criticize anyone you want?"Luke turned pale as he choked on his anger.James ignored him and waved the tablet he was holding, showing us footage from the hospital room of

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  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 5

    "Damn! If Dr. Seville hadn't saved the patient, our hospital would be in huge trouble!""Kate Horton has a PhD, too, right? How could she not know the basics of patient care?""She got in by nepotism. She doesn't actually know anything, yet she still keeps stirring up trouble!"The murmurs around us grew louder and louder. Kate reddened with shame. Tears began spilling out of her eyes again.Luke couldn't take it anymore. Sternly, he said loudly, "What are you all talking about? Kate earned her PhD legitimately!"James scoffed. "You call this legitimate? This crap?"Luke, being a renowned guest professor at a famous medical school, had never been insulted like this before. "You're just a freeloading rich kid who got some fake credentials abroad. You have no right to question me!"I smiled and joined the fray. "Dr. Spencer, James graduated from Kalolin University in Ruiden."Kalolin University had one of the best medical programs in the world. I had spent a year there as an exch

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  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 6

    From that day onward, Kate lost all credibility.Before this, as Mr. Preston's niece and Luke's youngest student, she was admired for her good looks and soft-spoken demeanor. Colleagues who rarely interacted with her often viewed her through rose-tinted glasses.However, after the incident that was witnessed by many firsthand, the truth was exposed. Soon, all the times she shirked responsibility to maintain her kind facade were soon exposed, too. Rumors began running rampant."She has a PhD? Even the nurses know the basic protocol for calming patients. How could she not know that?""She felt sorry for his mother… Ugh, gross! His mother is the reason why the patient is severely depressed. How could she say that? How cruel!""Oh, but she's so kind-hearted. You wouldn't understand."As the deputy head of the department, I should be trying to curb the gossip, but the rumors were largely true. Therefore, I didn't bother since it had nothing to do with me.Besides, I needed to focus o

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  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 7

    That evening, Luke called me.As soon as I answered the call, his cold, cutting voice came through, "How long are you planning to target Kate? Do you really need this case in your records that badly, or are you just jealous that she could use the case to publish a paper?"I've been mentoring you for seven years. Is this how you repay me?"I was cleaning up my apartment when he called. Brandon had trashed my apartment when moving out, probably in retaliation for humiliating him in front of the entire hospital staff.I had spent the last few sleepless nights with my patient in the hospital. When I finally returned home and saw my house in this state, I actually thought I had been robbed at first."I've known you for ten years. In that time, I've published 16 papers, all with your name on them," I told him impatiently as I pulled open the drawer of the overturned bedside table.Just as I expected, it was empty.I had spent two years collecting various case studies and follow-up int

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  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 8

    Just as I stepped onto the rooftop, the iron door behind me snapped shut with a loud click.A shiver ran down my spine. I looked back to see Luke and Mr. Preston looking at me sinisterly.In front of me, sitting casually by the railing, was Kate, her face alight with mockery. "I can't believe you really came."Smiling in triumph, she waved a stack of papers at me. "I have your file here, Amanda. Who would've thought that you had a family history of mental illness?"I stiffened, panic flickering on the inside. "That's private information," I said. "Besides, it hasn't affected my work.""Don't be nervous, Amanda," Luke said from behind me. "I know your history. If I didn't care about you, I would've made this public and forced you to resign. As you know, I've always been fond of you."I grimaced. "So, you put up this whole charade to lure me here and threaten me?""Hardly a threat, Dr. Seville." Mr. Preston strolled over and patted my shoulder.I shuddered.Seeing my unease, Kat

    Last Updated : 2025-01-07

Latest chapter

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 8

    Just as I stepped onto the rooftop, the iron door behind me snapped shut with a loud click.A shiver ran down my spine. I looked back to see Luke and Mr. Preston looking at me sinisterly.In front of me, sitting casually by the railing, was Kate, her face alight with mockery. "I can't believe you really came."Smiling in triumph, she waved a stack of papers at me. "I have your file here, Amanda. Who would've thought that you had a family history of mental illness?"I stiffened, panic flickering on the inside. "That's private information," I said. "Besides, it hasn't affected my work.""Don't be nervous, Amanda," Luke said from behind me. "I know your history. If I didn't care about you, I would've made this public and forced you to resign. As you know, I've always been fond of you."I grimaced. "So, you put up this whole charade to lure me here and threaten me?""Hardly a threat, Dr. Seville." Mr. Preston strolled over and patted my shoulder.I shuddered.Seeing my unease, Kat

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 7

    That evening, Luke called me.As soon as I answered the call, his cold, cutting voice came through, "How long are you planning to target Kate? Do you really need this case in your records that badly, or are you just jealous that she could use the case to publish a paper?"I've been mentoring you for seven years. Is this how you repay me?"I was cleaning up my apartment when he called. Brandon had trashed my apartment when moving out, probably in retaliation for humiliating him in front of the entire hospital staff.I had spent the last few sleepless nights with my patient in the hospital. When I finally returned home and saw my house in this state, I actually thought I had been robbed at first."I've known you for ten years. In that time, I've published 16 papers, all with your name on them," I told him impatiently as I pulled open the drawer of the overturned bedside table.Just as I expected, it was empty.I had spent two years collecting various case studies and follow-up int

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 6

    From that day onward, Kate lost all credibility.Before this, as Mr. Preston's niece and Luke's youngest student, she was admired for her good looks and soft-spoken demeanor. Colleagues who rarely interacted with her often viewed her through rose-tinted glasses.However, after the incident that was witnessed by many firsthand, the truth was exposed. Soon, all the times she shirked responsibility to maintain her kind facade were soon exposed, too. Rumors began running rampant."She has a PhD? Even the nurses know the basic protocol for calming patients. How could she not know that?""She felt sorry for his mother… Ugh, gross! His mother is the reason why the patient is severely depressed. How could she say that? How cruel!""Oh, but she's so kind-hearted. You wouldn't understand."As the deputy head of the department, I should be trying to curb the gossip, but the rumors were largely true. Therefore, I didn't bother since it had nothing to do with me.Besides, I needed to focus o

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 5

    "Damn! If Dr. Seville hadn't saved the patient, our hospital would be in huge trouble!""Kate Horton has a PhD, too, right? How could she not know the basics of patient care?""She got in by nepotism. She doesn't actually know anything, yet she still keeps stirring up trouble!"The murmurs around us grew louder and louder. Kate reddened with shame. Tears began spilling out of her eyes again.Luke couldn't take it anymore. Sternly, he said loudly, "What are you all talking about? Kate earned her PhD legitimately!"James scoffed. "You call this legitimate? This crap?"Luke, being a renowned guest professor at a famous medical school, had never been insulted like this before. "You're just a freeloading rich kid who got some fake credentials abroad. You have no right to question me!"I smiled and joined the fray. "Dr. Spencer, James graduated from Kalolin University in Ruiden."Kalolin University had one of the best medical programs in the world. I had spent a year there as an exch

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 4

    "James?" Luke and Mr. Preston exclaimed at the same time.The newcomer was James Brennan, my junior, who had joined the hospital as an intern at the same time as Kate."James Brennan, is this how you speak to the dean?" Luke chided with a frown. "Has studying abroad made you forget your manners?"James had studied abroad and was one of the few doctors in this hospital that wasn't under Luke's mentorship. Because of this, Luke had never liked James. He always saw the latter as a privileged rich kid who managed to worm his way into a medical career overseas.James raised his eyebrow, his handsome face outlined with mockery. "You're not a doctor in this hospital, Luke Spencer, and I'm not one of your students. You have no right to tell me off. Is this how hospitals here work, then? Does being a mentor allow you to criticize anyone you want?"Luke turned pale as he choked on his anger.James ignored him and waved the tablet he was holding, showing us footage from the hospital room of

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 3

    I had been expecting Mr. Preston to show favoritism, but I hadn't expected it to be so blatant. "So, you already know that people think of her as a joke?"Brandon couldn't take it anymore. He cut me off before I could continue, "Even though this is Kate's first time trying to reassure the patient, he's been under her care all this time. She was just too nervous and felt sorry for his mother, so she misspoke. "This was an accident. Dr. Seville used this to target Kate!"Before I could say anything, Luke added, "Kate was wrong. I can't deny that. As her mentor, I'll make sure to review her knowledge of patient care. "But Amanda tried to take Kate's patient away from her, making all her efforts for the past two months meaningless. That's just too much!"Hearing this, Mr. Preston's expression darkened. He turned to glare at me.He had specially assigned the patient to Kate because of the unique nature of his case. Kate would benefit greatly from it, as he would be an excellent reso

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 2

    I stood tall in all the glory of righteousness, staring down everyone at the scene.My other colleagues did not dare to intervene."Kate Horton, go back and copy the entire chapter on calming patients by hand ten times. I want you to recite all of it tomorrow at the office. You still remember the chapter from our undergraduate textbooks, right? Useless shit." I turned to leave but paused. "The patient is now under my care. For the next six months, you're not allowed to see any patients alone!""Stop right there!" Luke snapped, his voice regaining its usual authoritative tone. "The patient has been under Kate's care for two months. You have no right to take over. You're stealing her hard work!"I raised my eyebrows, sneering as I turned to point at Kate, who was still crying in Brandon's arms. "Two months, and she still doesn't know what triggers her patient? She almost killed him. You call that hard work?""I didn't—I said I was sorry," Kate sobbed."Sorry? What's the use of th

  • Ripping off Her Mask   Chapter 1

    To maintain her persona as a beautiful saint, my senior, Kate Horton, tried to comfort a suicidal patient who stood at the edge of a building."Your mother is waiting for you," she had said. With just one sentence, she made the patient jump off the building to his death.Terrified, Kate buried herself in my boyfriend's arms, sobbing, "I'm sorry! I just thought of his poor mother, and…"The patient had been showing signs of improvement, but because of her, he died.My mentor, Luke Spencer, and my boyfriend, Brandon Payne, only focused on comforting her. "It's not your fault. You're too soft-hearted and kind. He's been tormented by his family for years. You just helped him find his peace," they said.I was furious. "He was showing signs of improvement! Just because you didn't attempt to understand the patient's condition and spoke recklessly, you pushed him to suicide!"Kate was ashamed. Unable to defend herself, she staged a dramatic act of self-harm.Luke and Brandon felt sorr

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