He nodded. Exhaled loudly. “Remember when you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt’s case?”

She nodded.

“Since I didn’t hear back from him, I called him again last night.”

“And?” She motioned with her hands for him to continue.

“The detective called him back yesterday. He said after he looked at the files, he checked on what all they still had in evidence.” Derek shuffled his feet a bit. “They ran some tests on some blood they’d collected. They weren’t able to do that test back then, they didn’t have the capability. The results came back.” He hesitated. “They’re going to make an arrest. They’re going to arrest your dad, Della. I’m sorry.”

She stood there for several seconds.

His words flew around her head. Remember you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt’s case?

Her father was going to be arrested for murder and it was her fault.

If she’d never asked Derek to look into it, the case would have stayed buried. Stayed cold.

She’d done this. Done this to her dad—an extremely private man, who didn’t even want to think about the past. Now the whole world would know. There would be news reports, photos in the paper. Her father would be humiliated. More important than that, he’d be accused of murder. What if they convicted him?

She swallowed down the pain. Tears stung her eyes. If she hadn’t disappointed him before, she’d really done it now.

Not just him this time, either. This wouldn’t just hurt him, but her mom, her sister. It could destroy her family. Completely.

What the hell had she done?

Or a better question, how in the hell was she going to make it right?

Her phone rang. She pulled it out. Her sister’s number showed on the screen.

Della answered the call. “Hey.” Her voice shook with that one word.

“Della?” Her sister’s voice came with the sound of tears—much like the ones running down Della’s face. “The cops came … they took Dad.” Marla sobbed. “They think he killed someone. Mom’s so upset, she can’t stop crying. You have to come home. You have to!”

Della heard Marla’s request. But how could Della do it? How would she get blood if she was at home? How could she keep her secret from her family? How could she leave Shadow Falls?

Then again, how could she not go home and try to fix this, when she was the one who caused it?

“I’m coming,” Della told Marla. “I’m coming home.”