HOW I CAUGHT MY CHEATING HUSBAND

The Crash in the Highlands

The helicopter was falling.

Not descending.

Not struggling.

Falling.

The engine explosion echoed through the cabin as smoke poured around us. The aircraft spun violently, throwing us from side to side like rag dolls.

I screamed.

Vanessa screamed.

Even the pilot was shouting instructions that were completely drowned out by the roar of the storm.

Outside the windows, the Scottish Highlands rushed toward us at terrifying speed.

Dark mountains.

Sharp cliffs.

Dense forests.

Certain death.

The helicopter tilted sharply to the left.

A loud crack echoed through the cabin.

One of the windows shattered.

Freezing air exploded inside.

Rain lashed against my face.

My hair whipped wildly around me.

For one horrifying second, I thought we were already dead.

Daniel's arm wrapped around me instantly.

Protective.

Strong.

Holding me against him as the aircraft continued spinning.

"Hold on to me!"

His voice was barely audible over the chaos.

I grabbed him desperately.

My fingers digging into his jacket.

The memory card remained clenched tightly in my other hand.

I wasn't letting go.

Not after everything.

Not after my parents died protecting it.

The helicopter dropped again.

My stomach lurched.

The pilot's voice suddenly cut through the noise.

"IMPACT IN TEN SECONDS!"

Fear exploded inside me.

Ten seconds.

Ten seconds until we hit the ground.

Ten seconds until everything ended.

I buried my face against Daniel's chest.

For the first time since this nightmare began, I stopped fighting my emotions.

Stopped pretending.

Stopped hiding.

Because when death is ten seconds away, the truth becomes impossible to ignore.

I didn't want to die angry.

I didn't want to die confused.

I didn't want my last feeling toward Daniel to be uncertainty.

The man had lied to me.

Yes.

But he had also spent years protecting me.

Years loving me.

Years carrying promises that were never his responsibility.

And somehow...

I still loved him.

The realization hit me just as the pilot shouted:

"BRACE!"

Then—

Impact.

The world exploded.

Metal screamed.

Glass shattered.

The helicopter slammed into the mountainside with devastating force.

My head struck something hard.

Pain exploded behind my eyes.

The aircraft bounced.

Rolled.

Tore through trees.

Then everything became darkness.

Cold.

That was the first thing I felt.

Cold rain.

Cold wind.

Cold earth.

For several seconds, I couldn't remember where I was.

Or who I was.

Or why everything hurt.

Then memories flooded back.

The helicopter.

The crash.

The storm.

Daniel.

My eyes snapped open.

Pain immediately shot through my body.

I groaned.

The wreckage surrounded me.

Twisted metal.

Broken glass.

Burning debris.

The helicopter was destroyed.

Completely destroyed.

Rain poured from the sky.

The storm had intensified.

Lightning flashed overhead.

Illuminating the crash site in brief flashes of white light.

My pulse accelerated.

"Daniel?"

No answer.

Panic surged.

I pushed myself upright.

Every muscle protested.

My shoulder still hurt from the gunshot.

My head throbbed.

My ribs felt bruised.

But I ignored it.

"Daniel!"

This time my voice was louder.

Still no response.

Fear gripped my chest.

I stumbled through the wreckage.

Searching desperately.

Then I saw him.

Lying several feet away.

Motionless.

My heart stopped.

"No."

I ran toward him.

Ignoring the pain.

Ignoring the rain.

Ignoring everything.

"Daniel!"

I dropped beside him.

His face was covered in blood.

A deep cut stretched across his forehead.

His eyes remained closed.

My hands trembled.

"Please."

A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Please wake up."

Nothing.

The silence terrified me.

I placed shaking fingers against his neck.

Searching for a pulse.

For one terrible second, I found nothing.

Then—

There.

Weak.

But present.

Relief crashed through me.

"Thank God."

I almost collapsed.

A groan suddenly sounded nearby.

I turned.

Vanessa.

She was alive.

Injured.

But alive.

She slowly pushed herself up.

Her face twisted in pain.

"Amara?"

"I'm here."

She looked around the wreckage.

Then immediately asked:

"Where's the memory card?"

My hand instinctively moved to my pocket.

Still there.

Still safe.

The realization brought a brief sense of comfort.

Until another thought arrived.

The enemy helicopters.

Victoria.

My stomach dropped.

I looked toward the sky.

Empty.

For now.

But not for long.

Vanessa followed my gaze.

"They'll come."

The certainty in her voice chilled me.

She was right.

Victoria knew we crashed.

She knew we survived.

And she knew exactly what we carried.

The hunt wasn't over.

It had only changed location.

Lightning flashed again.

This time revealing something unexpected.

A narrow dirt road in the distance.

Partially hidden by trees.

Vanessa noticed it too.

"We need shelter."

I nodded.

The storm was getting worse.

And Daniel needed medical attention immediately.

The problem was moving him.

He was unconscious.

And larger than both of us.

Together, Vanessa and I managed to lift him.

Barely.

The process was agonizing.

Every step felt impossible.

Rain soaked us completely.

Mud covered our clothes.

The wind howled through the Highlands.

Yet we kept moving.

Because stopping meant death.

After nearly twenty minutes, we reached the road.

And that's when we saw it.

A house.

Old.

Stone-built.

Standing alone among the hills.

A light glowed from one of the windows.

Hope surged inside me.

"Someone's there."

Vanessa looked uncertain.

My mother's warning suddenly echoed in my mind.

Trust no one at the lake.

The words felt louder now.

More important.

But we didn't have a choice.

Daniel needed help.

Immediately.

We struggled toward the house.

As we approached, the front door suddenly opened.

An elderly man stepped outside.

Gray hair.

Heavy coat.

Weathered face.

He stared at us in shock.

Then his eyes landed on Daniel.

And something strange happened.

Recognition.

Immediate recognition.

My pulse quickened.

The old man looked stunned.

Almost frightened.

Then he whispered:

"No..."

I frowned.

What?

The old man slowly stepped forward.

Rain dripping from his coat.

His eyes never leaving Daniel.

Then he said something that made my blood run cold.

"You're supposed to be dead."

Silence.

The storm roared around us.

My heart pounded violently.

Because the old man wasn't talking to me.

He wasn't talking to Vanessa.

He was talking about Daniel.

And judging by the look on his face...

He wasn't mistaken.

He knew exactly who Daniel was.

The question was—

How?

And why did he believe Daniel should be dead?