Chapter 2 – The Lie Begins
The maintenance balcony groaned beneath Elena's weight.
Her left arm felt as if it had been ripped from its socket. Every breath sent waves of pain through her chest, but she refused to let go. Below her, flashing headlights crawled through the city streets, completely unaware that two lives hung between survival and death.
Margaret swayed upside down beneath her.
The older woman's face had turned pale, blood dripping from a cut above her eyebrow.
"Margaret!" Elena shouted.
No response.
"Please... stay with me."
A loose strand of rope continued unraveling around Margaret's ankles. Every second it slipped another inch.
Above, Daniel calmly slipped the knife back into his pocket before dialing emergency services.
"My wife..." he said, forcing panic into his voice. "She became emotional. She climbed onto the roof before anyone could stop her. Our housemaid tried to save her, and they both fell. Please hurry!"
His performance was flawless.
Eleanor placed trembling hands over her mouth, tears appearing on command.
"Oh, my poor daughter-in-law," she sobbed loudly as security guards rushed onto the rooftop.
No one questioned the story.
Not yet.
On the nineteenth floor, Elena spotted a narrow maintenance door only a few feet away. If she could reach it, they might survive.
But she had only one free hand.
Her baby kicked sharply inside her belly.
"I'm trying," she whispered through tears. "Mommy's trying."
Summoning every ounce of strength, she swung her body toward the balcony. Her fingertips brushed the cold concrete edge.
Not enough.
She tried again.
Margaret suddenly regained consciousness with a painful gasp.
"Don't... don't worry about me," she whispered.
"I'm not leaving you."
"You have to save... the baby."
"I'll save all of us."
Another swing.
This time Elena managed to hook her elbow over the railing. Agony shot through her shoulder, but she pulled with everything she had.
Inch by inch, she dragged herself onto the balcony.
The rope tightened around Margaret's ankles, threatening to snap.
Elena immediately grabbed Margaret's legs before they slipped free.
"I'm holding you!"
Using both arms despite the pain, she struggled to pull the older woman upward.
Nothing.
Margaret was too heavy.
Then the maintenance door burst open.
A middle-aged window technician named Victor stepped outside carrying a toolbox.
He froze.
"What in God's name..."
"Help us!" Elena screamed.
Victor dropped everything and rushed forward. Together, they hauled Margaret safely onto the balcony just as the frayed rope finally snapped apart.
All three collapsed onto the concrete, gasping for air.
Far above them, Daniel watched tiny figures gather on the balcony.
His expression hardened.
"They survived," he muttered.
Eleanor's face lost all color.
"What do we do now?"
Daniel's voice was frighteningly calm.
"We make sure no one believes anything Elena says."
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Down below, the first police sirens echoed through the night.
The battle for the truth had only just begun.
