Thank you again to everyone who's followed this story through to its conclusion. I hope it doesn't disappoint. I have had requests for a Season 4: It may happen but it's going to be a long way off if it does.

CHAPTER THREE

They stood around the grave as the priest intoned the invocation: Emma, Sutton and Laurel standing around Kristin, with Ethan, Dan, Jordan, Mads and Char all in attendance. "We commit the body of our brother Edward to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life."

Emma glanced at the gravestone waiting to be erected, her gaze resting on the last line. Beloved Father of Sutton, Emma and Laurel. The truth was finally out there but it had been too late. Alec, Rebecca and Ted, buried within a few feet of each other. The lying game they had started seventeen years earlier had cost them all their lives. Rebecca's estate had been enough to afford a lavish funeral. Emma and Sutton had been the only ones to attend, out of a sense of filial obligation, standing in silence as the coffin had been lowered into the ground, the richest and loneliest in the cemetery.

Emma's memory returned to the present, the funeral of her father. The priest offered the tray of earth to Kristin, who threw a few grains onto the coffin. "Rest in peace, Ted,"she said quietly, a single tear rolling down her cheek before she walked away. Her daughters copied her motion, adding their own handfuls to hers.

Emma and Sutton walked over to where Ethan and Dan were waiting, allowing their boyfriends to give them comforting hugs. "How are you holding up?"Dan asked.

Sutton sighed. "We're getting there."

"Have you heard what's happening to Thayer?"Emma asked.

"He's still undergoing psychological assessment,"Dan explained.

"Do you think he'll be fit to stand trial?" Dan could only offer a shrug in response. Emma sighed. "I know that he killed Theresa and Derek and did so many bad things but…when I think about it…I just feel sorry for him."

Ethan put his arm around her and kissed her on the side of the head. "That's because you're a good person."

Laurel was standing on her own a few yards from the grave. Char came to stand with her. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Apart from my dad being dead and the last year of my life being a complete lie? Turns out my boyfriend was only going out with me because Rebecca told him to."

"My boyfriend was only going out with me because Alec told him to,"Char said helpfully.

Laurel gave a hollow laugh. "Right, yeah. We make a great pair." She noticed Char's face. "I think Derek did really like you, you know. In the end. I think Thayer kind of liked me too. I could tell in the way he was around me. I hope so anyway. Be nice if something was real."

Char looked at her awkwardly. "Do you think…do you think we could pretend that we're cousins as well?"

Laurel smiled and linked arms with her. "Guess we need all the family we can find."

"Laurel?" Kristin had come up behind them. "There's something we need to talk about back at the house. You need to come too, Char." She looked at where Jordan and Mads were walking past. "And you, Mads."

Emma, Ethan, Sutton, Laurel, Char, Mads and Jordan were scattered around the living area. Kristin sat facing them. "It's taken the solicitors quite a while to sort out what's going to happen to Alec and Rebecca's estates. But it's finally been determined that with them both dead and Thayer facing charges, the Rybak house is to be split equally between Mads and Char."

Char was bewildered. "Me? Why me?"

"You're Rebecca's closest legal blood relative."

"But what about Emma and Sutton? And Jordan?"

"Jordan wasn't a blood relative. And legally, she was never Emma and Sutton's mother."

Char looked contrite. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, you're welcome to anything of hers, I don't want it,"Jordan answered. He put his arms round Mads. "Anyway, I got everything I wanted out of this."

"She was more your family than ours,"Sutton added. "Our family was here."

"Speaking of which,"Kristin continued,"since Ted and I never divorced, the flat he leased has passed to me."

"Are you going to give it up?"Laurel asked.

"I thought about it,"Kristin confirmed,"but if you don't mind moving back here, then I wondered if maybe Emma and Ethan would like to have it?"

Laurel nodded. "Fine by me."

Emma was still recovering the power of speech. "Us?"

"Well, you'll need a place of your own when you get married,"Kristin pointed out. "But it's up you."

Emma glanced round at Ethan. "What do you think?"

Ethan smiled. "I think Dan will be glad to have some privacy at the trailer."

Sutton did her best not to blush.

Emma zipped up the suitcase and stopped to look around what she supposed would soon be Laurel's room again. It wasn't the first house she'd moved out of but it was the first one that seemed like home. And yet, it was also the first time that she actually had somewhere to move on to. A future.

Sutton entered the room. "Going to be rid of you soon then?"

Emma smiled at her. "I'm not going that far. You'll still see me around."

"Good." Sutton seemed to sag suddenly and she sat down on the bed. "Ironic, isn't it? We first teamed up to find our birth parents. And now they're both dead."

Emma sat down next to her. "I think we found a family anyway."

"We did,"Sutton agreed. "And we found each other. And we found love." She saw Emma's surprised look and pointed a warning finger at her. "Do not say anything."

Emma put an arm round her and rested her head on her shoulder. "We might have lost some people but I think we're lucky with who we've got left."

Sutton awkwardly returned the gesture. It felt good. "Me too."

The End of The Lying Game Season 3

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