Chapter 3

Natalie didn't realize who she'd just splashed with wine.

A furious voice cut through the air. "Who the hell do you think you are, throwing the drink on me?"

While the man seethed, Natalie stayed perfectly calm. She cleared her throat and replied, cool and even, "I'm exactly the person you've been calling a 'blind, fake heiress.'"

As soon as the words left her mouth, every eye in the room flicked to Natalie, then dropped to her white cane. A thick silence filled the private room.

Drenched in wine, the man was too shocked to react, his anger choking off mid-breath.

Just then, Sienna's gaze drifted over. She nudged Jason, who was slumped against her, and said, "Jason, wake up. Natalie's here."

Natalie?

Jason blinked awake, instantly recognizing that familiar outline. Before he could process it, he was straightening up in Sienna's arms, the haze of alcohol fading almost instantly.

Then, it hit him—Natalie couldn't see.

A quiet relief settled over him. He could still feel Sienna's warmth against him, but he had to turn his attention to Natalie. "Natalie, what brings you here?"

Jason stood and reached for her hand, but she jerked away sharply.

He froze. Three years of marriage, and she had never once pulled away from him like that. His expression darkened in a heartbeat. Around him, the others held their breath, careful not to set him off.

Jason didn't speak again until he pulled Natalie close, his voice dropping. "Natalie."

The threat in that single word was impossible to miss.

The old Natalie would have backed down. But this time, she didn't.

She bit her lip, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Jason, just be honest with me. You don't love me anymore, do you? Have you fallen for Sienna?"

Jason went completely still. She'd somehow plucked the words right from his mind.

Had she found out?

If Natalie could see him now, she'd be looking at a man drowning in guilt.

His eyes flickered toward Sienna before he denied it flatly, "That's nonsense. You know I love you. How could I not?"

Jason spoke his last words weakly, his voice barely there.

Tears spilled from Natalie's eyes, quick and quiet, the kind that could melt a heart of stone. She choked out, "Your friends said it. They said I wasn't enough for you, that I'm just some damn blind thing, and that you belong with Sienna."

A cold sweat broke out down the spines of the ones who'd been gossiping earlier.

Sure, they'd called her blind. But damn blind thing? They definitely hadn't said that.

"Natalie, we were drunk and talking nonsense. Don't be mad."

"Yeah, Natalie, just ignore us. Don't take it seriously."

"You and Jason are literally perfect together. We were idiots not to see it before."

The apologies tumbled out one after another, quick and easy.

Natalie knew when to drop it. Pushing things further wouldn't help. She took Jason's hand and ducked her head, putting on her best helpless look. "Let's go home, Jason."

Between the cigarette smoke and the noise, this was no place for her, especially when pregnant.

Jason laced his fingers through hers and started leading her out, but then she let out a quiet whimper. He stopped right away.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Natalie's voice was quiet, with a hint of a whine. "I don't know my way around here. I hurt my ankle coming in."

Without missing a beat, Jason picked her up. "Show me where it happened. I'll tear the whole place down by morning."

Natalie pressed her face into his chest, playing shy as she fell silent. The sight of it instantly lifted Jason's spirits.

Only after they'd walked out did the tension in the room finally ease. The same ones who'd been running their mouths earlier piped up again.

"Man, I thought Jason was done with the blind thing. Guess they're still going strong."

"Did you catch how nervous he looked? That wasn't for show. He's really into her."

"No kidding. And Mrs. Pereira's a knockout, like seriously gorgeous. We can't blame Jason for keeping her all to himself."

Nearby, Sienna sat listening, glaring at the door they'd just walked through. She snatched up her glass and downed the wine in one gulp.

Jason carried Natalie into the car after they left Beyond the Waters, his touch careful. The chill of the night disappeared the moment they got inside, warmth taking its place.

Natalie sat straight, staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular. She felt the engine hum to life, then the heat of Jason beside her.

He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. "Why did you come out so late at night?"

Natalie kept staring ahead. "Sienna called. She said you drank too much and asked me to come get you. I was so worried about you that I wasn't thinking straight. I just came without really stopping to consider it. But now that I think about it…"

She left the words hanging.

Jason studied her face. "Yeah?"

A faint smile touched her lips before she shook her head. "Never mind. Maybe I'm overthinking things."

Natalie could feel Jason's eyes on her, steady and unrelenting. Then, he pulled her into his arms. "Sienna had a tough life growing up, but she's a simple person and doesn't have a mean bone in her body."

Natalie's face was drained of color. Her nails pressed so deeply into her palms that she nearly drew blood.

Did he love Sienna so much that he'd call wrong right? Was stealing Xavier from her not malicious? Was staging that car accident not vicious? Was taking her corneas not evil?

Just because Natalie had been switched at birth, the world had decided she was the one who deserved no mercy. Nobody treated her with respect, not even the Spencers' maids, who felt free to hit her or scream in her face.

Sienna's bullying, the humiliation, the lies, and the way she made Natalie's life a living hell were all just part of Natalie's everyday life.

The memories crawled over her skin like ice.

And yet, Natalie had never fought back. Even when Sienna took Xavier from her, she had never truly hated Sienna.

It wasn't until she overheard Jason and Murray talking outside that hospital room that her heart finally sank into complete despair.

…

Natalie climbed out of the car as soon as it stopped in front of the house. Midnight had passed, and the night had worn her out.

She washed up and got into bed. Moments later, Jason settled in beside her. His fingertips had just skimmed her waist when his phone rang on the nightstand.

He grabbed his phone, glanced at it, and bolted out of bed. "I've got to take this, Natalie."

Natalie kept a straight face. "Okay."

The instant he left, she threw off the covers and followed him. She stopped outside the study, hearing that unmistakable voice through the door.

"I could never love her. You know that.

"Sienna, you're wasted. I thought Xavier was coming to get you?

"Fine. Say where you are. I'm coming."

Shrouded in the dark, Natalie backed away and retreated to the bathroom.

Jason stepped out of the study just as she opened the bathroom door. A twinge of guilt made him jump. "Natalie? You're still awake?"

She'd lived in this villa for three years and knew it so well that she didn't even need her cane to move around.

"I just got some water and used the bathroom," said Natalie.

Jason figured he might have been overthinking things.

He moved closer and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "You should get some sleep. There's something urgent at the office, and I need to handle it."

Natalie knew that line by heart. For three years now, Jason had constantly been called away late at night, even in the middle of intimate moments between them.

But he never hesitated to leave, and she never questioned it. She always assumed the company needed him. Now, she couldn't help but wonder if every single "emergency" had actually just been Sienna.

Jason threw on his clothes and hurried out of the bedroom, his tie still dangling loose.

Natalie went pale as his footsteps faded, her nails digging into her palms. He cared about Sienna so much that he'd drop everything and run to her the second she called.

Then, all at once, something in Natalie snapped. She hurried after him and grabbed his hand. "Jason, don't go."