Chapter 273

Chapter 273

Alicia watched as Adeline wheeled Kaida in. Edward, surprised, rushed over. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

To everyone's astonishment, Kaida recognized him. "Eddie."

Edward froze, his voice raspy. "Mom." It had been two years. Since her illness began, Kaida had never recognized him. She would call his name, but her eyes would look right through him, as if her son existed in another time and place.

Kaida sighed. "You've had a hard time these past two years."

"You're my mother." Edward said, his voice low. "Nothing I do for you is hard."

Kaida stroked his head. For years, she was the only one who treated him this way. It made him feel that no matter how old he got, he would always be a child in her eyes.

Rupert was also polite to Kaida. "It's been a long time."

"Hello." They had only met once, shortly after Edward was released from prison, when he had taken Rupert to see her at the nursing home. Rupert had never visited again. He was a busy man, Kaida understood that. But between Adeline and Rupert, she knew who to choose. "I've been sick for two years, confused for two years. It wasn't until I saw Adeline a few days ago that those jumbled memories finally came back."

Adeline stood by her side, and Kaida took her hand. It was soft and cold. "Adeline's grandmother, Ms. Hall, and I were in the same nursing home." Kaida said softly. "Ms. Hall was a good person, always talking about how wonderful her granddaughter was. She was getting better, her spirits were high. Until one day, I saw her."

She looked at Alicia.

Alicia bit her lip. "So what if you saw me? I didn't force her to go."

"No, you didn't force her. you tricked her." Kaida would never forget that day. "I heard you tell her that Eddie and Adeline had sent you to pick her up for their engagement party." For a moment, Kaida had believed it. The two of them had been so close in their younger years, and though they had been separated by a misunderstanding, Kaida had always believed they would find their way back to each other. But then she had second thoughts. If they were getting engaged, they would have come to get Cara themselves. Why send Alicia? So she had followed.

"If you saw me and followed, then why didn't you say anything back then?" Alicia demanded.

"Because I fell down the stairs." Kaida had fainted on the spot. The nursing home had been in a panic. Because of Edward, they were very protective of her. They had examined her, treated her. Kaida had woken up, but she had hit her head. It had ached for two days, and she had forgotten all about Cara being taken away. Later, her memory had gotten worse. The doctors said it was from the fall, but there was no major trauma, and no cure. All they could do was give her medication and observe.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me?" Edward had never known.

Kaida sighed. "My mind was a mess back then. I didn't remember any of it. I just knew I couldn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry." She looked at Adeline with guilt. "I'm sorry, Adeline. I forgot." Her intentions had been good, but if she had told Edward then, the outcome of the case might have been different. But there were no what-ifs. What was done was done.

Adeline squeezed her hand. "I don't blame you. The only one to blame is the one who started it all." She looked at Alicia, her eyes cold. "I wonder if Mrs. Thomas's testimony counts as evidence? Your story last time was that you saw my grandmother wander off and you took her in out of kindness. Now it's clear that you deliberately tricked her…"

Alicia's teeth chattered. Her plan had been flawless, but she had never imagined someone would see her, and Edward's mother at that. She couldn't silence her. "So what?" Even if someone had seen her trick Cara, "It doesn't prove anything. I did take your grandmother, but she fell into the water by herself. I didn't push her! The police investigated. The only footprints at the scene were hers and the caregiver's. The caregiver was negligent and was punished. Why are you bothering me again?"

She was still trying to talk her way out of it! "It seems you're not going to admit it." Adeline said coldly. "You say it has nothing to do with you. Then I'll show you whether it has anything to do with you or not."

Another witness arrived. It was the caregiver Alicia had mentioned. Seeing her, Alicia panicked for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "What are you doing here? Are you upset because I made you go to jail for this? Are you here to frame me?"

"I'm sorry, I can't cover for you anymore." the caregiver said truthfully. "You told me not to watch Ms. Hall too closely. You even hinted that you wanted something to happen to her."

"You're lying! I never did that!" Alicia wasn't a fool. She wasn't going to admit it. "Besides, you're supposed to be in jail. Why are you out? And why are you accusing me? I bet Adeline paid you. How much did she give you? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? A million? I can double it, just tell the truth."

"Bribing someone in plain sight, Ms. Carter? You're quite bold," a man in a police uniform said as he walked in.

Adeline nodded at him. The officer nodded back.

Seeing this, Alicia realized. "So this was all your plan. You conspired with the police, bribed a convict, and even got Edward's mother to be a witness, all to make Mr. Thomas and Edward believe you!"

"Ms. Brown did come to me." the officer explained. "But it wasn't a conspiracy. We just acted out a little play. After Ms. Brown told me what Mrs. Thomas said, I realized there was more to the case that hadn't been investigated. I reported it to my superiors and got special permission for the prisoner to be released."

"Ms. Carter, just admit it," the caregiver said. "I have a recording of you saying those things."

Alicia had never imagined the caregiver would have a recording. Her voice was clear, arrogant, and vicious.

"If Ms. Hall goes out, and something happens…"

"That old woman should be dead anyway. She's lived long enough, and she's not contributing anything to society. Just listen to me. You don't have to watch her too closely. But make sure it doesn't trace back to me. If anything happens, you have to take the blame."

"But I don't want to go to jail."

"Don't worry. After you go to jail, I'll take good care of your family. They'll have everything they need. And you won't be in for long. When you get out, I'll make sure you never have to worry about money again."