Plum Blossom | Completed

Chapter Thirty-Two

Just as Caleb had said, finding Mellisa had been a problem. She was completely off the grid. There was no way of contacting her either, which was all the family wanted to do.

Mr. Bui, the lawyer had gotten the restraining order nullified. Along with a fine in exchange for their release, the Carmichaels had been ordered by the court to give Mellisa ten million dollars as reparation for everything their daughter had done to her.

That money now sat in a separate account, waiting for Mellisa to claim. That was not all. Dr. Perez's last will and testament had been read, and his entire fortune had been bequeathed to Mellisa. As it turns out, Mellisa would never have to work a day in her life.

All that her family now wanted was for Mellisa to come back home and live the life that had been snatched from her. She was, however, nowhere to be found.

They had come close to finding her several times. But every lead had been a dead end.

With each passing day, the family worried more. The twins, however, decided that they weren't going to make the mistake of giving up twice. Until they had some closure, one way or another, they would keep looking, whatever it took.

Life had changed for all of them. Kyle and Olivia had been discharged soon after Bethany's arrest. They were both back home and doing well.

Charlotte was also progressing nicely in her pregnancy, with Eleanor doting on her, to the point of irritation. Jackson had remained as supportive as ever, a new sense of maturity in him.

The couple had found out that they were having a girl. Amanda was thrilled at the prospect of having a little cousin to play with soon.

Although it had been Mellisa's request that Emily take care of Amanda, the group had collectively decided that it would be better for Amanda to be around her family. But Emily and Connor were frequent visitors to the Adams' residence, with Connor having his own room for when he stayed over.

"Do you think Mellisa even wants to be found?" Charlotte asked one evening as she sat at the table rubbing her swollen belly. She was now eight months pregnant and could go into labor at any minute.

Fortunately, she had Olivia by her side at all times, even when Jackson or Eleanor were not available.

"Let's give her some space. After everything she's been through, that's the least she deserves," Caleb piped in. He had been the other constant addition at the Adams' household.

"What she deserves is to be at home with her family, who love her and want to give her the world," Jackson countered, handing Charlotte a plate of fruit to munch on as dinner was being prepared.

"Put away your swords, boys," Eleanor scolded them. "We're doing everything to find Mellisa. She'll be home soon."

The others weren't too convinced but there was something in the wisdom of experienced women, because the family would find their silver lining sooner than they realized.

It was a week later that an exhausted Kyle had walked out of a soup kitchen. Someone had told him that Mellisa was spotted there a few times, but the manager didn't know her whereabouts or her schedule. She came in randomly, but all the patrons looked forward to her arrival because it meant tasty food and having their wounds looked after.

This had been the third lead Kyle had tracked in the last week alone. His sister weighed so heavily on his mind that he hadn't even been sleeping well.

Coffee, it seemed, was the only thing that had kept him going. Spotting a little café near the soup kitchen, Kyle stepped inside to grab a cup to go. His order came soon enough, and he walked out of the café just as quickly as he had entered.