I tried emergency services anyway. The call failed.
The tracking beacon would have to be enough.
I moved toward the base of the cliffs, where a shallow overhang offered protection from the wind. My body had begun trembling violently. I removed my wet blouse, wrapped myself in the emergency blanket from the pouch, and checked my pulse.
Fast, but steady.
My left shoulder hurt from the parachute opening, and a bruise was forming along my hip. Otherwise, I seemed impossibly fortunate.
I did not feel fortunate.
I saw Richard’s face each time I closed my eyes.
Empty.
Cold.
Determined.
Yet beneath those memories, another image surfaced.
Richard painting the nursery walls at midnight because he disliked the first shade of blue.
Richard kneeling beside me after our first ultrasound, staring at the grainy photograph with tears in his eyes.
Richard whispering, “I didn’t know I could want anything this much.”
Had that been real?
I hated that I still wondered.
The phone rang.
The sudden sound startled me so badly that I nearly dropped it.
Lena’s name appeared on the screen.
I answered.
“Amelia?”
“I’m alive.”
Her exhale came through the speaker.
“Are you injured?”
“Bruised. Cold. I’m on a beach below cliffs. The beacon is active.”
“We have your location. Rescue is coming from the north.”
“How long?”
“Soon. Stay visible, but do not climb.”
I leaned against the rock.
“Richard pushed me.”
There was a brief silence.
“Did you see anyone else in the helicopter?”
“No. The pilot seat was empty.”
Richard had earned his private pilot certification two years earlier. He claimed it was a hobby.
Lena’s voice softened.
“Are you sure you want to speak about this now?”
“I need you to know exactly what happened.”
“I’m recording.”
I described the flight, the route, the open door, and Richard’s final expression. Saying the details aloud made them solid.
When I finished, Lena asked, “Did he say anything before he pushed you?”
“Only that I deserved the view.”
“That may matter.”
“Everything matters now.”
A faint engine echoed above the cliffs.
I stepped from the overhang.
“Someone’s coming.”
“Rescue is approaching by boat, not road.”
My skin tightened.
A dark vehicle appeared briefly along the cliff edge.
Then it stopped.
“Lena,” I whispered.
“Move out of sight.”
I crouched behind a formation of rock.
