Once the message went through, Natalie pushed open the private room door.

Every conversation ended at the same time, and the laughter vanished with it.

Dim lights cast a hazy glow across the room. Cigarette smoke, liquor, and heavy perfume had blended into a stale odor that filled the air.

Several sharply dressed men and women occupied the room. Some sat while the others stood, but every one of them looked toward the entrance.

Natalie stopped at the edge of the light. Her long gown followed the graceful lines of her slim body, while the soft glow made her skin appear almost radiant.

Usually, her beautiful eyes shone with warmth and energy. Tonight, however, something dark concealed every emotion behind them.

Ryan sat in the middle of the sofa with a clear view of the entrance. Smoke rose from the cigarette between his fingers and drifted across the sharp angles of his face.

Before anyone else could react, Ryan noticed her and briefly panicked. Then he saw that her hearing aids were missing, and the strain left his body. He rose from the sofa and walked toward her while signing, "Baby, why did you take so long? We've all been waiting for you."

Disgust twisted Natalie's stomach.

Before she could answer, someone behind her called out, "Well, this looks like quite the party."

Each word carried a playful sweetness that sounded forced enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the doorway to see who had interrupted them.

Caylee waited beneath the warm hallway light in a fitted red slip dress. Its high slit revealed nearly the full length of her thigh. Loose waves of hair covered her shoulders, while perfect makeup and bright red lipstick completed her striking appearance.

She rested against the doorframe and slowly surveyed everyone in the room. When her attention reached Ryan, a secretive smile appeared on one side of her mouth.

Something changed in Ryan's expression. Natalie's failure to react convinced him that she couldn't hear anything, and some of his unease faded. After facing Caylee, he spoke quietly. "Why did you come in here? I told you to stay in the room next door."

Every trace of tension in his voice reached Natalie clearly.

Caylee laughed. "I didn't want to be so far away from you. I'll just stay near the doorway for a little while. Natalie won't know I'm here unless she turns around, and she can't hear what we're saying. So why are you acting so nervous?"

Her words helped everyone in the room relax.

Someone muttered in agreement, "Shit, I completely forgot she can't hear us. She nearly scared me to death!"

"Exactly. For one second, I thought everything was about to come crashing down."

Soon, everyone stopped caring about what they said around Natalie, and their voices took on a cruel, mocking edge.

Natalie curled both hands into tight fists beside her body. Her fingernails dug so deeply into her palms that the sharp pain became impossible to ignore.

Each word cut into her.

She could hear them.

Every single word.

Caylee's smile became even more pleased as she lifted her voice. "You can't hear me, can you, Natalie? That terrible crash failed to kill you, but at least it left you deaf. How tragic."

"Knock it off," Ryan snapped in a low, stern voice. He glanced nervously at Natalie and seemed afraid that she might somehow understand what they were saying.

His anger didn't bother Caylee in the slightest, and her grin only widened.

Leaving the doorway, she walked into the room and stopped directly behind Natalie. Affection filled her eyes when she looked at Ryan, and she made sure everyone could hear her. "Weren't you just worried that Natalie might learn I'd come back, Ryan? You can relax now. She can't hear anything we say. I could call her a bitch right in front of her, and she still wouldn't..."

Before Caylee could finish, Natalie turned around and struck Caylee hard across the face.

Every sound inside the room disappeared at once.

Everyone present could only stare at Natalie in disbelief.

What had just happened? Had Natalie heard Caylee? That was impossible. She had lost her hearing.

Color quickly spread across Caylee's cheek in the shape of Natalie's hand.

Disbelief widened her eyes as she pressed one palm against the burning skin. Several seconds passed before she managed to say, "You... You really had the nerve to slap me!"

When Caylee tried to strike back, Natalie reacted first and caught her wrist before the blow could land.

Before Caylee could pull away, Natalie slapped her across the face again.

Its force snapped Caylee's head sideways, while her carefully arranged curls tumbled loose and covered part of her face.

Even after being struck twice, Caylee remained frozen in shock and seemed unable to understand what had happened.

Inside the private room, nobody dared make a sound.

Everyone stared at the two women without blinking.

Ryan recovered before the others, though he didn't move from his place. Alarm briefly crossed his face.

Had Natalie's hearing returned?

Unease jolted his heart, and his attention shifted toward the liquor cabinet without conscious thought.

Warm light from the wall sconces reflected across the cabinet's mirrored doors. Moving shadows passed over the glass.

Of course. Natalie must have spotted Caylee's reflection in the mirror.

Relief allowed Ryan to breathe again. He still sensed that something wasn't right, but before he could figure it out, Caylee erupted and screamed, "You bitch! I'm going to rip you apart!"

With her nails pointed toward Natalie's face, Caylee charged at her.

Both women grappled for control and clawed at each other's hands.

Natalie's quicker reflexes gave her the advantage. She seized Caylee by the hair and pulled so hard that Caylee screamed in pain.

"That's enough!" Ryan roared as he rushed between them. He used one arm to force them apart before grabbing Natalie's wrist. "Stop fighting. Both of you."

Caylee immediately took advantage of the opening and lifted her hand once more.

Panic tightened Natalie's stomach, and she twisted her arm in an attempt to escape Ryan's grasp.

Ryan's fingers held her like a steel clamp. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't free herself.

Natalie opened her mouth and tried to order him to release her, but only a faint and raspy noise left her throat.

Yesterday's high fever had somehow restored her hearing, yet it had made her voice disappear.

Desperation drove her to keep trying, yet she couldn't force out even one clear word.

Her wordless struggle finally made Ryan uncertain, and his grip weakened for the briefest moment.

Caylee's hand was already flying toward Natalie during that instant of hesitation. Natalie instinctively pulled her head aside. The slap failed to land, but Caylee's pointed nails still scraped across her cheek and left behind a painful sting.

Blood appeared along the fresh scratches on Natalie's face, and Ryan froze when he saw it. Then rage took over. He released Natalie's wrist and shoved Caylee backward. "Caylee, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

The sudden push sent Caylee stumbling several steps until her shoulder struck the liquor cabinet behind her.

A loud crash rang out.

Violence from the impact made the cabinet sway. Several expensive imported bottles tipped over and slid from the shelves. Liquor sprayed everywhere before the bottles shattered against the floor.

Through the confusion and shouting, Ryan rushed toward Caylee and shielded her with his body.

Several bottles crashed against Ryan's back with heavy thuds while splinters of glass scattered across the room.

Nearby, Natalie barely managed to shield her head and face with both arms before a bottle crashed against her shoulder. Fierce pain tore through her immediately. More bottles followed before she could move away.

Only a weak groan escaped her throat.

One of the blows knocked Natalie onto the floor. Freezing liquor soaked her clothes as small pieces of glass rained over her. Blood trickled from the wound near her temple and blended with the alcohol around her.

Natalie curled into herself while numbness spread through one side of her body. Heavy pain throbbed through her shoulder, back, and the bottom of her skull. Her ears buzzed so loudly that the frightened screams around her became difficult to separate.

"Ryan, help me!" Caylee cried as tears streamed down her cheeks. "My foot hurts so badly..."

Despite the pain in his back, Ryan quickly pushed himself off her. "Where are you hurt? Show me what happened!"

"It's my ankle... It really hurts..." Caylee whimpered. Tears filled her eyes as she pointed to the injury.

Several glass fragments had sliced her ankle and left behind a few narrow lines of blood. The wounds appeared minor, yet Caylee wept as though her life were in danger.

Not far away, Natalie remained sprawled on the floor while darkness repeatedly swept across her vision.

With trembling fingers, she struggled to raise her left arm toward Ryan. Her lips silently shaped his name, but her voice couldn't produce a sound.

By then, Ryan had already lifted Caylee into his arms and turned toward the exit.

"Ryan, Natalie looks hurt too," someone called out while pointing toward the floor.

For a moment, Ryan stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

Still cradled against him, Caylee sniffed and pressed her face against his neck. "Ryan, it hurts so much. What if one of my bones is broken?"

Ryan's brow tightened before he turned away from Natalie. "One of you stay with her. If she isn't badly injured, take her home. Caylee needs to get to the hospital now because she has a low tolerance for pain."

The man who had warned him hesitated and seemed ready to object, but he eventually answered, "Fine."

Without any hesitation, Ryan hurried out of the private room with Caylee in his arms.

Behind him, his friends traded uneasy looks. Several wanted to approach Natalie, but none seemed willing to take the first step.

"Natalie, can you hear me? Are you able to stand?"

"Man, she's deaf. Calling out to her won't help. Does anyone here know sign language?"

"Shit, why would I know how to do that?"

At that point, Natalie's surroundings had begun to blur, and every voice sounded distant and unclear.

Moving lips surrounded her, but she could no longer understand what anyone was saying.

Blood continued flowing from her forehead and spilled into her eyes until a dark red haze covered everything.

Even the simple act of shaking her head required more strength than she had left.

She could feel nothing except cold.

The chill seemed to rise from somewhere deep within her body.

Soon, the room spun around her, and every person nearby faded into a shapeless shadow.

Then someone cried out, "God, her head is bleeding! There's blood everywhere!"

Her hearing kept disappearing before briefly returning again.

Darkness closed around Natalie and grew heavier with each passing second. Before long, she could barely keep her eyelids open.

"Call an ambulance right now!"

"Damn it, why won't Ryan answer his phone?"