The wind screamed past Sophia’s ears as she plummeted toward the earth, her husband’s face growing smaller in the helicopter door above her. The last thing she saw was Richard’s cold smile not the loving expression of a man who had just lost his wife in a tragic accident, but the calculated look of someone who had just committed murder. Three seconds earlier she had been leaning out of the helicopter, marveling at the beautiful landscape below.
Richard had suggested this romantic helicopter ride for their fifth wedding anniversary, and she had been so touched by the gesture. He rarely did anything romantic anymore, always buried in his work at the insurance company where he was a senior claims adjuster. »Look down there honey,» he had said, his voice barely audible over the helicopter’s rotor blades.
»See how small everything looks from up here?» She had smiled and leaned forward, pressing her face against the cool glass. That’s when she felt his hands on her back not gentle, not loving but firm and deliberate. The safety harness that should have been securing her had been loosened, she realized too late.
The door that should have been locked was suddenly open. Richard what are you? But the words were lost in the wind as his hands pushed hard against her shoulders, sending her tumbling into the vast emptiness below. For a moment she couldn’t process what was happening.
This had to be an accident. Her husband of five years wouldn’t couldn’t do this to her. As she fell, fragments of the past few months flashed through her mind.
Richard’s sudden interest in life insurance policies. His insistence that they both increase their coverage for protection. The way he had been working late more often, the smell of perfume that wasn’t hers lingering on his clothes.
The credit card bills showing expensive dinners at restaurants they had never been to together. The ground rushed up to meet her and Sophia closed her eyes, preparing for the end. She thought about her childhood, growing up in Atlanta with her grandmother who had raised her after her parents died.
She thought about her job as a nurse, all the patients she had helped, all the lives she had touched. She thought about the business degree she had earned through night school, the dream she had put on hold when she married Richard. But instead of the hard ground she felt the sharp branches of a massive oak tree breaking her fall.
Pain shot through her body as she crashed through the canopy, each branch slowing her descent. Her left arm snapped with a sickening crack, and she felt her ribs break as she hit a thick branch. Blood ran down her face from cuts made by the smaller branches, but she was alive.
She landed hard in a pile of leaves at the base of the tree, every bone in her body screaming in pain. Above her she could hear the helicopter circling, probably making sure she was dead. She forced herself to remain still, to play dead, even though every instinct told her to scream for help.
The helicopter circled three more times before flying away. Only then did Sophia allow herself to move, to take inventory of her injuries. Her left arm was definitely broken, she had several broken ribs and she was bleeding from dozens of cuts.
But she was alive and more importantly she was angry. She managed to crawl to the edge of the small clearing where she had landed. In the distance she could see a farmhouse with smoke coming from the chimney…
Using her good arm she began dragging herself toward it, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Each movement sent waves of pain through her body, but she refused to give up. It took her two hours to reach the farmhouse.
The elderly couple who lived there, the Johnsons, found her collapsed on their porch. They called 911 immediately, and within minutes, an ambulance was rushing her to the nearest hospital. As the paramedics worked on her, Sophia made a decision.
She wouldn’t tell anyone the truth about what had happened not yet. She would let Richard think his plan had worked, let him believe she was dead. And then, when he least expected it, she would destroy him.
The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was the paramedic asking her what had happened. Accident, she whispered through cracked lips. Helicopter accident.
But it wasn’t an accident, and Richard was about to learn that some falls don’t kill you they just make you stronger. Sophia woke up in the hospital three days later to find a nurse checking her for. The woman’s name tag read, Patricia, and she had kind eyes that reminded Sophia of her grandmother.
Well hello there miracle girl, Patricia said with a warm smile. You gave us quite a scare. The doctors weren’t sure you were going to make it.
Sophia tried to speak but her throat was raw and dry. Patricia quickly brought her a cup of water with a straw, helping her take small sips. The cool liquid felt like heaven against her parched throat.
What happened to me? Sophia asked though she remembered everything with painful clarity. Helicopter crash, Patricia said consulting her chart. You fell from about 200 feet according to the rescue team.
It’s a miracle you survived. That old oak tree saved your life the branches broke your fall just enough. Sophia nodded slowly processing the information.
My husband, is he. He’s fine honey. Been here every day since they brought you in.
The poor man is beside himself with grief and worry. He’s down in the cafeteria right now but I can call him if you’d like. No, Sophia said quickly.
Not yet. I need. I need some time to remember everything.
Patricia nodded understandingly. You have a severe concussion so some confusion is normal. Take your time.
Your husband mentioned that you two were on a romantic helicopter ride for your anniversary when something went wrong with the aircraft. He said you were thrown from the helicopter when it hit some turbulence. Sophia’s jaw tightened.
So that was going to be his story. She had been thrown from the helicopter due to mechanical failure or turbulence. Not pushed by her loving husband who wanted to cash in on her life insurance policy.
The pilot, she asked. What happened to him? He’s in the ICU but he’s stable. Managed to crash land the helicopter in a field about a mile from where you fell.
He’s been asking about you actually. Keeps saying he doesn’t understand what happened, that everything was working fine one moment and then. Patricia trailed off, seeming to realize she might be saying too much.
Well I’m sure the investigators will figure it all out. The important thing is that you’re alive and recovering. After Patricia left, Sophia stared at the ceiling, her mind racing.
The pilot was alive which meant there was a witness to what had really happened. But would he have seen Richard push her? The helicopter had been small with the pilot facing forward. He might not have seen anything.
She needed to be careful. If Richard suspected she knew the truth, he might try to finish what he started. For now, she would play the part of the confused, grateful wife who had survived a terrible accident.
When Richard finally came to visit that evening, Sophia was ready for him. She had practiced her expression in the reflection of the window confused, loving, slightly scared. She had thought about what she would say, how she would act.
Oh Richard, she said weakly when he entered the room. I was so scared. I thought I was going to die.
Richard’s face was a mask of concern, but Sophia could see something else in his eyes disappointment? Frustration? He had been expecting to find her dead and instead she was very much alive. Thank God you’re okay, he said moving to her bedside and taking her good hand. I was so worried.
When I saw you fall from the helicopter, I thought I had lost you forever. His hand felt cold against hers and she had to fight the urge to pull away. This was the same hand that had pushed her to what should have been her death.
I don’t remember much, she lied. Just falling and then waking up here. The nurse said there was some kind of mechanical problem with the helicopter.
That’s what the investigators think, Richard said smoothly. The pilot is still unconscious so we don’t know for sure what happened. But the important thing is that you’re alive and going to be okay.
They talked for a few more minutes with Richard playing the role of the devoted husband perfectly. He told her about how he had been beside himself with worry, how he had barely left the hospital since she was brought in. He mentioned that he had already contacted their insurance company about the accident, just to make sure all her medical bills would be covered.
After he left, Sophia lay in her hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. She knew she couldn’t stay here much longer. As soon as she was discharged, she would need to disappear before Richard realized she knew the truth about what he had done.
She began making plans. She would need help and she knew exactly who to call. Her best friend from nursing school Nicole, who now worked as a private investigator in Miami.
Nicole had always been suspicious of Richard, had warned Sophia that something seemed off about him. She would help. The next morning Sophia asked Patricia for a private moment.
I need to make a phone call, she said. But I don’t want my husband to know about it. Can you help me? Patricia looked concerned.
Is everything okay honey? You seem troubled. I just need to call an old friend, Sophia said. Someone who can help me remember some things about the accident.
I’m still so confused about what happened. Patricia nodded and brought her a phone. When she was sure she was alone, Sophia dialed Nicole’s number.
Nicole it’s Sophia. I need your help and I need you to trust me. Something terrible has happened and I think my husband tried to kill me.
Nicole arrived at the hospital the next day, disguised as a visiting nurse from another department. She was a tall woman with sharp features and an even sharper mind qualities that made her an excellent private investigator. I’ve been doing some digging since you called, Nicole said quietly as she pretended to check Sophia’s vitals…