They left a pregnant woman hanging over a cliff, but when Daniel went to save her, his stepmother cut the last rope.
The storm was lashing the cliff.
The waves crashed violently against the rocks many meters below.
At the edge of the precipice was a black sedan.
Half of the vehicle was already hanging over the void.
Only the rear wheels remained in contact with the wet ground.
Valeria was inside.
She was eight months pregnant.
Her wrists were tied to the steering wheel with plastic cable ties.
Every small movement of the car made the metal creak.
Tears streamed down her face as she instinctively protected her belly.
—Please… someone help me.
A few meters away, another SUV remained running.
Veronica was at the wheel.
Valeria's stepmother.
He watched the suspended car with terrifying calm.
He put the car in forward gear.
He gently pushed the car.
The sedan moved a few centimeters towards the precipice.
The earth began to give way.
Veronica smiled.
—I just need one last push.
Valeria screamed in despair.
-I am pregnant!
Please!
But the woman showed no compassion.
—That's precisely why.
If that baby is born, the entire estate will change hands.
I don't intend to allow it.
Hours earlier, Veronica had summoned Valeria under the pretext of delivering some documents related to the family inheritance.
When she arrived at the viewpoint, two men immobilized her.
They tied her to the steering wheel.
Then they placed the car at the edge of the cliff.
Now all that was left was to let gravity do the rest.
At that moment, the roar of an engine broke the silence.
An SUV appeared skidding down the mountain road.
It was Daniel.
He had found Valeria's phone abandoned next to a broken security barrier.
The vehicle locator led him to the cliff.
Seeing the car suspended, he felt his heart stop.
—Valeria!
Without slowing down, he sharply turned the steering wheel.
His SUV crashed head-on into Veronica's vehicle.
The impact threw the SUV several meters to one side.
The woman lost control and crashed into some rocks.
Daniel ran out before his vehicle had even finished coming to a stop.
He didn't look at anyone.
He just ran towards the edge.
Valeria's car continued to slide slowly.
Every second brought me closer to the void.
Daniel opened the driver's side door.
The hinges creaked dangerously.
He tried to cut the cable ties.
It wasn't enough.
The car started moving again.
The ground gave way beneath his feet.
Daniel held Valeria by the hand.
—Don't look down!
She cried and couldn't stop trembling.
—Daniel…
—I'm not going to let you go.
The car was completely suspended.
Only a thick rescue rope, accidentally caught on the rear axle after the crash, prevented it from falling into the sea.
Daniel was still holding his wife's hand.
With the other hand, she tried to free herself from the bonds.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
Veronica had gotten out of the SUV.
He had blood on his forehead.
And a mountain knife in his hand.
He walked slowly toward the rope.
Daniel looked up.
-No!
She smiled.
—You were always too sentimental.
He raised the knife.
And he propped it up on the rope.
Valeria opened her eyes in horror.
—Don't do it!
Veronica answered without taking her eyes off Daniel.
—If she lives…
You will lose everything.
With a single movement…
He cut the rope.
The sound was dry.
The tension disappeared.
The car fell into the void.
Daniel continued to cling to Valeria's hand.
The weight of the vehicle pulled him with brutal force.
His boots began to slip on the mud.
He clung desperately to a rock with his other hand.
The muscles in his arms were trembling.
The car descended slowly down the cliff slope.
Valeria immediately understood what was happening.
If Daniel continued holding her…
They would both fall.
She looked at him through tears.
—Let me go!
He shook his head.
-No.
—You're going to die with me!
Daniel was breathing with difficulty.
The mud continued to give way beneath his body.
—I'd rather fall…
Rather than lose them.
Valeria burst into tears.
I had never seen so much love... nor so much fear at the same time.
Daniel's fingers were beginning to lose strength.
The car kept sliding.
Below, the waves crashed violently against the rocks.
Veronica watched the scene, convinced that both of them would fall.
But behind her came the sound of several sirens.
Two patrol cars and a rescue team had just arrived.
A firefighter immediately saw the situation.
—Bring the winch!
Three rescuers ran towards Daniel.
They secured her waist with a harness.
Another threw a rope around the vehicle.
For a few seconds everything was suspended between life and death.
The car started moving again.
The rock that was holding Daniel up began to break.
"Now!" shouted the team leader.
The winch pulled with all its might.
Daniel was dragged backwards without letting go of Valeria's hand.
The car also began to slowly ascend.
Centimeter by centimeter.
Until finally it touched down again.
The paramedics rushed towards Valeria.
They cut the cable ties.
They took her out of the car.
She immediately hugged Daniel.
The two fell to their knees.
None of them could stop crying.
A doctor placed a monitor over Valeria's belly.
Everyone waited.
One second.
Two.
Then a heartbeat appeared.
Strong.
Constant.
The baby was still alive.
Daniel rested his forehead against his wife's.
—We did it.
But the relief was very short-lived.
One of the officers searched Veronica's SUV.
Inside he found an envelope with documents.
The first page read:
“DNA test — Confidential.”
The detective opened the file.
His expression changed completely.
He looked at Daniel.
-Mister…
I think you should see this.
Daniel took the papers.
They were not medical results.
They were contracts from a fertility clinic signed years ago.
Among them was a sheet of paper with a handwritten note:
“The true heir should never discover who his biological mother is.”
Daniel felt his blood run cold.
He slowly raised his gaze towards Veronica, who was being handcuffed by the police.
She smiled for the first time since it all began.
—You thought I was trying to take your wife away.
He paused.
—Actually… I’ve been hiding an entire family from you for years.
The wind blew again over the cliff.
Daniel shook Valeria's hand firmly.
May you like
They had escaped death.
But they had just discovered that the secret their stepmother was protecting was much older… and much more dangerous than any inheritance.
