Chapter 1 It's Your Husband, Alicia!

"Baby, you're absolutely incredible."

A sultry haze of lust and murmured intimacy clung to the living room air, heavy enough to make the space feel tainted.

From the doorway, Alicia Barton froze as she took in the sight of Michael Barton, her husband, tangled shamelessly with Kaelyn Gill-the Gill family's biological daughter and her so-called sister-right there on the sofa, a cold tremor crawling up her spine and sinking into her chest.

"Alicia?" Startled by her presence, Michael fumbled and yanked his pants into place, his movements rushed and clumsy.

Kaelyn looped her arms around his neck, teeth grazing his earlobe as she breathed out lazily, "Why bother with her? It's not like she can see us. Besides, it's not the first time we've done this right in front of her."

Though her whisper was low and indulgent, every word landed clearly in Alicia's ears, sharpened by her unnaturally keen hearing.

Never, not even in her darkest imaginings, had Alicia expected that the very day her sight returned would be the day she discovered her husband in Kaelyn's arms.

Alicia clamped her teeth into her lower lip, forcing herself not to cry as her voice quivered. "What... what are you doing?"

Kaelyn let out a flirtatious laugh, her tongue casually sweeping over her damp lips. "Relax, Alicia. My boyfriend and I were just having a little fun," she purred. "Want to join us?"

Michael was Kaelyn's boyfriend!?

A bone-deep chill rushed through Alicia, freezing her from the inside out.

If that was true... then who had she married?

Not long ago, she had lost her sight in a car accident while trying to save Kaelyn.

When she finally woke up, it was Michael-her childhood sweetheart-who had insisted on marrying her despite her blindness.

She had been overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion.

Yet after the wedding, an unease had quietly taken root-Michael's voice didn't sound the same as she remembered.

When she questioned it, Michael calmly explained that unbearable grief had torn his vocal cords, leaving his voice permanently altered.

It turned out they had been lying to her since the very start.

The thought of Kaelyn making out with Michael when she had been blind while she herself had stood there smiling like a fool and offering her blessings turned her stomach.

How could they bring themselves to do something so cruel to her?

A violent urge rose inside Alicia, a desperate need to rip that rotten couple apart and expose everything.

Still, reason forced her to rein it in. Letting them know she had regained her sight would ruin everything.

For now, she needed to stay quiet and uncover what those two were really plotting behind her back.

At that moment, a sharp doorbell chime cut through the room.

Without hesitation, Kaelyn hurried over to answer it, and from the corner of her vision, Alicia caught sight of a man standing just beyond the threshold.

He towered in the doorway, broad shoulders stretching the fabric of a plain shirt, black pants sitting neatly along long, straight legs.

His features were sharp and well-defined-deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and lips drawn into a cool, unreadable line.

When his gaze fell on Alicia, it didn't wander or soften; it pinned her in place with an unmistakable sense of possession.

Alicia's chest tightened. She couldn't recall ever seeing him before.

Forcing herself to steady her breathing, she asked evenly, "Kaelyn, who's there?"

"It's me." The low, husky voice struck her like a jolt of electricity.

Before she could react, a pair of large hands settled firmly on her shoulders, heat seeping through the fabric. A clean, crisp scent of pine washed over her.

That smell... it was the same scent from her wedding night!

With a sugary giggle, Kaelyn replied, "It's your husband, Alicia!"

Looping her arms around Michael's neck, she added, deliberately stressing every word, "He's the man you've been dreaming of marrying since you were a little girl."

A shiver ran through Alicia as she stood frozen, forced to witness Michael willingly slide his arms around Kaelyn's waist, their faces nearly touching.

Clamping her teeth down on her lip, Alicia fought the savage urge to lunge forward and tear that lying, filthy pair apart. The sharp metallic tang flooded her mouth as the pressure bit deep.

Without warning, icy fingers closed firmly around her palm.

The sudden contact made Alicia flinch.

From just above her head came a voice stripped of warmth, calm and lethal. "Clean yourselves up and get out. From this moment on, you are not to step foot in this place again without my permission. Ignore that, and I'll call the police and have you charged with trespassing."

The color drained from both Kaelyn's and Michael's faces.

Kaelyn screeched, "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you-"

Her outrage was cut off mid-sentence the instant her eyes collided with the man's cold, unwavering stare.

With an unhurried motion, the man slipped an arm around Alicia's shoulders, the chill in his eyes easing into something unexpectedly gentle. "Come on, honey," he said softly, his voice low and reassuring. "I'll take you back to your room so you can rest."

Alicia drew her lips into a thin line, uneasy and conflicted, yet she didn't resist as he guided her away.

Ever since she lost her sight, her hearing had grown keen. Even as she walked off, she distinctly caught the furious murmurs behind her, no matter how carefully they tried to lower their voices.

Pure malice flashed across her face as Kaelyn spat, "That wretched beggar. Just because he's got a decent face, he thinks he can act like he runs this place? If we didn't need this marriage to move Gill Group's shares through Alicia's name, I'd have crushed him already. Who the fuck does he think he is, barking orders at me?"