Plum Blossom | Completed

Chapter Thirty-One

Charlotte and Olivia ran into their boyfriends' arms as soon as Emily escorted Bethany out. The twins took their time pacifying their girlfriends. Mr. and Mrs. Adams remained seated outside, reeling from what had just transpired.

Kyle looked over to ensure his grandparents were doing okay. His grandfather caught his eye, letting him know not to worry about them.

"You okay?" Kyle then looked at Olivia. She quietly nodded, cuddling deeper into him.

"Jack, maybe you should get Lottie checked out," he suggested to his brother. "This much excitement cannot possibly be good for her and the baby."

"I'm doing fine," Charlotte insisted, but Jackson and Olivia were having none of it. Unsure of what to do or when Emily would be back, the group decided to expend themselves fussing over Charlotte.

"Where did Trey go?" Olivia asked, finally realizing that he was nowhere to be seen. She was waiting outside the exam room with Kyle, while Charlotte and Jackson checked on the baby.

"I don't know," Kyle responded. "Let's go check."

The pair didn't have to go very far. They found Trey hunched over at the far end of the corridor, head in his hands. He looked as if he was about to have a panic attack.

"You doing okay bud?" Olivia addressed him as they got closer.

"I didn't even recognize that woman, and to think I've known her for nearly two decades. I'm married to her, dammit. How did I not realize how twisted she was?" Trey gasped for breath.

"You really didn't know?" Kyle clarified suspiciously.

"Not a clue, dude. I would never have brought her around all of you if I had known. I would have had her committed. She's dangerous."

"She's too smart. You wouldn't have been able to make her do anything she didn't want to. We've been around her for so long. We didn't even doubt that she was capable of anything like this," Olivia pacified him.

"Precisely. It was the perfect crime. What I don't understand is why she opened her mouth. Why did she confess? None of us suspected anything. She could have gotten away with it," Kyle commented in confusion.

"It's because she's a certifiable narcissist." The three of then turned at the sound of Emily's voice. Emily looked beyond exhausted.

"Come on," she said. "Let's find the others. We have a little time before Caleb has to go back to work. He'll keep Amanda busy till then. I'll fill you all in."

Emily then started walking into Kyle and Olivia's room, beckoning them to follow.

Once the entire group had gathered, they patiently waited for Emily's explanation.

"You were saying something about Bethany being a narcissist?" Kyle prompted her. Nodding her head towards Kyle, with a tired smile on her face, Emily began filling them in.

"Bethany wasn't nearly as smart as she thought she was. It was just that no one was looking for her because no one thought to," she paused.

"What do you mean?" Trey asked.

"You didn't know that she was spending her vacations at a facility, right?" Emily confirmed with Trey, who nodded.

"Her parents had indeed checked her in each time under a false name. They always lied about her whereabouts. She always came across as a spoilt little rich kid, so no one cared to question her absence.

We then went to the psychiatric facility where she was an inmate, and they corroborated her story. Her parents had paid them off to keep her activities silent. Since she wasn't physically involved in Alex's crimes, no one ever thought to investigate her. We found no records of them meeting or having any sort of contact with each other."