Jennifer shifted her attention to Michael and spoke without lowering her voice. "So when are you planning to make things official with Kaelyn?"
Her eyes hardened as she continued, "Kaelyn's reputation is spotless. You should deal with any loose ends before you marry her."
Her pointed glance flicked toward Alicia.
With Kaelyn held firmly against him, Michael's expression softened with indulgence. "You don't need to worry, Jennifer. I'll marry Kaelyn no matter what. No one is going to stop that."
The three of them carried on as though Alicia did not exist at all.
Pain burst through Alicia's chest, and her hands curled into tight fists as she fought to breathe through it.
They had no shame. How could they say such things right in front of her?
Was it because they think she was blind?
Anger surged hot and uncontrollable. Alicia tightened her grip on her cane and swung it forward. The impact landed hard, leaving red marks across both Kaelyn's and Michael's faces.
"Ah! My face!" Kaelyn cried out as pain flared across her cheek. Rage twisted her expression as she charged forward. "Alicia, have you lost your mind? How dare you hit me?"
A sharp knot formed in Alicia's chest, but before she could react, strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
"I'm sorry I got here so late, baby," a man's voice said softly at her ear.
At the same moment, Kaelyn lost her balance and fell hard onto the floor.
"Kaelyn!" Jennifer rushed to her side, panic written all over her face. Only after confirming she was not injured did she turn on Alicia, fury blazing in her eyes. "You horrible woman. How could you lay a hand on Kaelyn?"
Alicia tilted her head slightly, her voice steady. "I can't see anything. What happened to Kaelyn?"
"Don't be scared, sweetheart. You only brushed aside a couple of idiots by accident." Jared tightened his hold around her and reassured her, his tone sharp with restrained anger, and his narrowed eyes swept over them with open contempt.
"You useless piece of trash," Kaelyn hissed, her glare filled with hatred as she stared at Jared.
Without raising his voice, Jared spoke again, calm and detached. "I wonder how many people would be interested to know what the two of you were doing in our home."
Shock locked Kaelyn's features in place.
Rather than respond, Jared looked away and drew Alicia closer to his chest. "This place is too loud. Let's go home."
With one arm wrapped securely around Alicia, Jared guided her away from the scene.
Kaelyn shook with fury as she clutched Michael's arm, her voice breaking under the strain. "I can't take this anymore. How long are you going to keep lying to Alicia?"
Jennifer let out a harsh laugh, contempt clear in every word. "I never should have taken that woman in. Because of her, Kaelyn is carrying your child without even a proper marriage. Say something already."
Michael stayed silent, and both women fixed their eyes on him, waiting.
His gaze lingered on the figures growing smaller in the distance, tension creasing his brow. Only when Kaelyn tugged at him impatiently did he snap back. After a pause, he spoke at last. "Please don't be mad, Jennifer. I care about Kaelyn too much to leave her without a marriage by my side."
Every word carried over to Alicia.
Tears gathered before she could stop them, spilling down despite her effort to hold them back.
In that instant, clarity struck her hard. Family or love, none of it had ever truly belonged to her. It had all been something she imagined on her own.
Worried she might make a sound, Alicia clamped down on her lower lip until pain flared. Her nails dug sharply into her palm.
Jared noticed the blood at once, and a dangerous chill settled in his eyes.
Without giving her room to resist, he tightened his grip and led her back toward his hospital room, steady and unyielding.
"Does your hand hurt?" Jared asked quietly, his gaze dropping to her palm stained with blood.
Alicia gathered her courage, reached out, and caught hold of his sleeve before lifting her face toward him. "Jared."
A sharp glint flashed through his narrowed eyes as his voice dropped. "You can see again?"