Sinful Mates 1-3 novel Chapter 149

　　Evelyn’s POV

　　The stream shows April walking through the hospital corridors with a gun in her hand. April walks up the corridors before walking into a ward out of sight. The live stream continues to play when you hear a bang. Ryland switches the TV off and all eyes go to me before I walk over grabbing the remote from Ryland and turning the TV back on. My heart thumping against my chest as I flick through the channels trying to find the news report again. Ryland tries to take the remote from me, but I snatch it away from him. I need to know; I need to know what happened. Where Lana was, my mind racing the cold tendrils of fear creeping into me, my stomach dropping as I break out in a cold sweat instantly. My hands shaking as I clutch the remote before frantically flicking past the channel. I press the back button, and a news anchor was standing out the front of the hospital. Police blocking entry to the hospital behind her.

　　The flashing of police lights flickering against the building as cops were running around trying to secure the hospital, people running from the building in complete chaos.

　　“What you just seen on screen was the wife of the well-respected constable Derrick Tanner. The reports coming from inside is that a double murder, suicide. We believe the youngest victim of the double homicide is the adopted daughter, fourteen-year-old, Lana Tanner. The girl has been residing with Mrs Tanner while her husband recovers in hospital. It is not known what caused the sudden these sudden events to unfold but it is tragedy we may never understand.”

　　Three images come on the screen, a picture of April, one of Derrick in his uniform before the fire ravaged him and lastly a picture of Lana. Her beautiful face full of light, the picture-perfect girl next door. My lungs restrict, my legs buckling underneath me as I stare at the screen. I could see the news lady talking but no volume as went completely death to my surroundings. I couldn’t hear a thing going on around me. Couldn’t think straight as I stared blankly into space.

　　This is my fault, I told Thaddeus not to kill her even though he wanted to. That was a mistake, I killed the only sister I ever had because I didn’t want to live with the guilt of taking April away from her. But April not only took her husband’s life but that of Lana’s before taking her own. I killed her, I set off the chain of events that lead to her death, if only I listened to them. If only I never went to that house. If only I told Thaddeus to kill her, Lana would still be here.

　　My breath coming faster in short puffs with the realization that just dawned on me. I killed her, the closest person to family I ever had was dead. The person I was willing to kill for died because I wanted to believe April still had good left in her, that her understanding was only tainted that she wasn’t to blame for her actions. Thaddeus was right, April deserved death, but Lana didn’t deserve this. This was never meant to affect her, I thought I was protecting her by letting April live because I was afraid, she would end up back in the system, the system no child wants to be a part of. My idiocy killed her. My failure to see what she was capable of killed Lana. The little girl I fought to protect for an entire year was now dead, everything I did was for nothing but more importantly my mistake killed her.

　　Orion POV