Alas, when Sophia finally put her scheme into action, it backfired spectacularly. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Rafael sensed her movement the instant she pretended to stumble. The elevator doors slid open, and without hesitation, he pushed Hera's wheelchair forward and out.
Caught off guard, Sophia, who had committed too fully to her act, ended up truly losing her balance. Expecting Rafael's solid frame to catch her, she instead pitched sideways into empty space.
With no cushion to break her fall, she crashed hard against the elevator wall, her head bumping the side with a resounding thud.
Before the doors slid shut, both Hera and Rafael clearly heard the impact echo behind them.
Hera bit her lip, already guessing what had happened to Sophia. Laughing outright in her face would have been like kicking a donkey when it was already down, yet she couldn't stop her shoulders from trembling as she stifled her laughter.
