The Longer The Fall By Aviva Gat Text copyright © 2021 Aviva Gat All Rights Reserved This work is protected under the Copyright Act of the United States. No part of the publication may be used, copied, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical, except with the permission of the author, except for brief quotations included in critical reviews and articles. This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, events in this book are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental. Table of Contents Table of Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Epilogue A note from the author Acknowledgments The Longer The Fall Prologue “She’ll be the first female president.” “And to think the first female president will be a Republican!” “We’ve been waiting for someone like her.” “She’s our Obama, our very own Rockstar politician.” “She’s too pretty to go all the way.” “And too perfect. No one’s life is that perfect. Just look at her husband and kids. Don’t they just make you jealous?” The members of the crowd couldn’t stop themselves from commenting during the applause. They were in awe, in full admiration. Some allowed themselves to wonder if she were too good to be true, but most shook their heads and smiled while thinking about how history was being made right there in front of their eyes. There was no question about it, Madeline Thomas had something special about her. A star quality. A twinkle in her eye that quieted all your nerves and made you believe. Even the most ardent skeptics couldn’t ignore it. Even they would have followed her wherever she went. But of course the higher you are, the longer the fall. And Madeline was still climbing higher and higher, straight to the top. And she could have made it there. She could have made it all the way into the history books. She had lived her life with her eyes at the peak, knowing that every step that didn’t bring her closer was a wasted stride. Every move was carefully calculated to help her achieve her ambitions. Except… except one. A misstep, a falter. If you closed your eyes you may have missed it. Or it’s possible it never happened at all. The misstep could have been fabricated by the forces trying to bring her down. Because there were many forces against her. People jealous of her image, people who resented a woman of her ambition and promising future. The problem is, ironically, that when there are so many eyes on you, the truth is harder to see. And once people think they see something, it’s almost impossible to convince them otherwise. Chapter 1 Madeline stepped into the wings gracefully after finishing her speech. The roar of the crowd followed her, possibly getting louder as she disappeared from their view. “Madeline, that was wonderful, just perfect, you nailed it,” Jane said, holding her bluetooth at her ear as though she were afraid it might fall out. “Now we have exactly 27 minutes to get to midtown where you are meeting with the Israeli ambassador. We need to hurry.” “Thank you, Jane,” Madeline responded calmly, obviously not feeling the urgency her chief of staff was trying to transmit. “What about staying to mingle for a few moments? I’d like to talk to the students.” “The students?” Jane’s could not have been more surprised had Madeline suggested they ride an elephant downtown to their next stop. “Well, this is Columbia University, isn’t it? There must have been some students in the auditorium. When I used to go here, the CRNC would always meet up after these kinds of events to discuss our thoughts. We always appreciated it when the speaker would come say hello. Surely the CRNC reserved one of the classrooms here.” “We don’t have time for the College Republican National Club!” “We should,” Madeline responded. “They’re the new generation of voters.” “Madeline, we can’t keep the ambassador waiting,” Jane said while forcefully putting her hand on Madeline’s back to guide her out. “You remember, Mr. Zahavi, so impatient. It’s imperative we’re on his good side.” She leaned in a little closer and continued in a whisper. “People don’t become presidents without support of the Israelis.” Madeline smiled at Jane, giving a look that Jane immediately understood. It was the look that meant Madeline had made up her mind and while she respected Jane’s hard work and difficult planning, Madeline’s desires trumped all. “It will just be a few minutes,” Madeline said, making her way from the wings into the halls of the auditorium building. Spectators filing out of the auditorium already filled the walkways. Madeline smiled at each one, causing jaws to drop and conversations to silence as the spectators gleamed in her presence. Lucky for Jane, none of the spectators approached Madeline, allowing the senator to easily weave her way through the parting sea of people as she headed down the hall lined by empty classrooms. Madeline peered inside each room, absorbing the echo of debates, lectures and heated discussions that surely had taken place just hours ago. In one of the classrooms at the end of the hall, the echo was less faint. In fact, it wasn’t an echo at all. Rather it was the enthusiastic speech of inspired
