CHAPTER 2 — The Fall Everyone Witnessed... Except the Truth
Morning fog rolled over Silver Falls Canyon like smoke.
The cliffs disappeared beneath white mist.
Victoria insisted on pushing Daniel's wheelchair herself.
"You deserve to enjoy the view."
Her voice sounded gentle.
Her eyes did not.
Ryan walked several steps behind them carrying a backpack far heavier than hiking supplies should have been.
Inside were ropes...
Gloves...
And a change of clothes.
Just in case.
Daniel quietly noticed every detail.
When they reached the overlook, there was no one else.
Perfect.
Exactly as Victoria wanted.
The waterfall crashed hundreds of feet below.
Spray coated the rocks, making every surface dangerously slick.
Victoria rested her hands on the wheelchair.
Ryan slowly moved closer.
Daniel closed his eyes.
"So this is where it ends?"
Neither answered.
"I heard you talking on the patio."
Victoria froze.
"I know about the affair."
Ryan swallowed hard.
"I know about the forged insurance documents."
Neither spoke.
Daniel smiled sadly.
"I even know the life insurance policy doubled last month."
Victoria's expression hardened.
"So you knew."
"Yes."
"Then why did you come?"
Daniel looked toward the waterfall.
"Because I wanted to know whether the woman I loved still existed."
Silence.
Only roaring water.
Then Victoria whispered words colder than the mountain wind.
"She died the day you stopped being useful."
Ryan shoved the wheelchair.
Everything happened at once.
The tires skidded.
Metal scraped against wet stone.
The chair tipped over the edge.
Daniel disappeared into the roaring mist.
Victoria screamed.
Ryan shouted for help.
Within minutes, hikers rushed toward the overlook.
Victoria collapsed to her knees, sobbing dramatically.
"It was an accident!"
"He slipped!"
"He tried to turn around!"
People comforted her.
Some even hugged her.
No one questioned the grieving wife.
Police arrived.
Search teams searched the canyon until sunset.
Nothing.
No body.
No wheelchair.
No trace.
Three days later, television stations declared Daniel Ashford legally presumed dead pending recovery.
Victoria cried during interviews.
Ryan stood quietly beside her.
America mourned the brilliant businessman.
Meanwhile...
Nearly thirty miles downstream...
A fisherman spotted something impossible.
A damaged wheelchair caught against fallen trees.
But there was no body.
Only broken restraints.
And beside them...
Fresh footprints leading into the forest.
Whoever survived...
Had walked away.
The question was no longer whether Daniel was alive.
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The question was...
Who had rescued him before the killers ever realized they had failed?
