For as long as I can remember, I've been able to see spirits and ghosts. I can hear them talk, too.

Because of that, everyone thought I was creepy. My parents would rather spoil my adopted sister, Sienna, than give me a second glance.

Then Sienna got engaged to Felix Floyd, the heir to an old-money family, and she became the family's golden child.

But right before the wedding, Felix was in a car crash and slipped into a coma.

When the Floyds asked Sienna to honor the engagement—

She didn't hesitate.

"You want me spending my life changing his sheets and cleaning up after him? No way. I'm not throwing my life away on a vegetable. I'd rather die than marry him!"

At that moment—

I saw Felix's spirit.

His face was pale, almost bluish. He stared at Sienna, hatred burning in his eyes.

"I can't believe she's that heartless. The doctor said I'll wake up within six months. As long as someone's willing to take care of me, when I wake up, I'll give her twenty million dollars right away. Just to piss that tramp off."

My eyes lit up.

I raised my hand. "What if... I marry him?"

Getting into a wealthy family didn't matter to me.

I just really wanted that twenty million dollars.

I thought Sienna would try to stop me.

Ever since we were kids, her favorite thing had been making my life miserable.

But this time—

She burst out laughing and shoved me forward.

"Honestly, all you do is annoy everyone anyway. Go wipe his butt and change his sheets. Look at you. So desperate you'd throw yourself at a guy in a coma. That's just sad."

I lowered my head and said nothing.

If this got me out of this house and earned me twenty million dollars, I was all in.

I couldn't wait to lock it down.

Meanwhile, Felix's spirit was losing it.

He floated behind Sienna, throwing punch after punch through her.

"Sienna Reidy! You always told me Ruth bullied you. So that was all bullshit. You're the one who's been bullying her this whole time. I can't believe I fell for your act."

The resentment rolling off him made the room feel colder.

I instinctively hunched my shoulders and walked over to Felix's mother, Penelope.

"I'm the Reidys' biological daughter. If you don't mind, I'm willing to marry Felix instead."

Penelope looked exhausted.

After Felix's accident, the Floyd family had publicly insisted he'd recover soon. If his fiancée dumped him now, the family would become a joke. People would lose confidence in the Floyds, and Floyd Corp.'s stock could take a hit.

And somehow, I'd become their way out.

Penelope grabbed my hands, eyes lighting up. "You're really willing to do this? Felix is unconscious, so he can't legally marry you right now or have a wedding. But if you take care of him and stand by him, then when he wakes up, you'll be his wife."

I nodded. "I'm good at taking care of people. I've looked after my paralyzed grandparents since I was little."

Felix's spirit drifted over and frowned. He looked me over from head to toe.

A chill ran down my spine.

I pretended not to notice him. "I can cook. I can help him move around and keep him clean. I'm patient..."

My parents immediately jumped in.

"That's right. Ruth was born to serve."

"She's perfect for this. As her parents, we fully support the marriage. You should take her with you today."

They practically pushed me out the door like they were throwing out garbage.

Behind me, Sienna's sharp laughter rang out. "One creepy girl and one guy in a coma. Talk about a perfect match."

Felix shook his head. "Sienna is unbelievable... So all that sweet, innocent stuff was fake. I must've been blind. When I wake up, I'm giving Ruth twenty million dollars immediately. If nothing else, it'll piss Sienna off."

As his spirit drifted through the wall, I silently prayed.

'You promised me twenty million. Don't you dare forget.'

Half an hour later, I finally saw Felix in the VIP suite.

He looked thin and pale, tubes running everywhere. Machines kept track of every heartbeat and breath.

Penelope wiped at her eyes. "He suffered a traumatic brain injury. The surgery went well, but recovery takes time. Maybe six months. Maybe three years.

"We wanted someone to stay by his side. Not because we need help changing his sheets or cleaning him up—we can hire nurses for that."

I understood what she meant.

For coma patients, emotional connection mattered.

Someone needed to talk to him every day, keep his mind engaged, give him reasons to come back.

But Felix's condition couldn't be made public.

And Penelope was busy holding Floyd Corp. together.

Sienna had been the obvious choice.

Instead, it ended up being me.

Felix's spirit stood beside the bed, looking miserable. "I really thought Sienna would stay with me. Guess I was wrong. All I wanted was someone dependable to read me the financial news every day. Why is that so hard? I don't even know if Ruth can pull it off..."

After listening to him complain for a while, I figured it out.

His consciousness was separated from his body.

That's why I could see him.

The moment he woke up, his spirit would return to where it belonged.

Once I had a plan, I laid it out.

"I'll read the news to Felix every day. I'll keep movies and music playing. I'll tell him about the weather and bring in different scents so he stays connected to the outside world."

I paused.

"As for taking care of him, I'd like to handle that myself if that's okay. It'll help us build a stronger connection."

Penelope and Felix both looked skeptical.

Neither of them believed I'd actually follow through.

They changed their minds the next day.

When Penelope came into the room—

I had just finished shaving Felix.

He looked a lot more like himself.

A newly released movie played on the TV while I quietly explained parts of it.

At the same time, I was reading financial news from a tablet right on schedule.

A cup of fruit tea sat beside his bed, its scent covering the sharp smell of disinfectant.

I'd even set up a small bed in the room.

I planned to stay with him twenty-four-seven.

Penelope looked genuinely touched. "You can go back to the estate at night."

I smiled.

As long as I didn't have to go back to my parents' house, I was good.

"Staying here helps strengthen my connection with Felix. It'll help him wake up."

As I spoke, I secretly glanced at Felix's spirit.

His expression had softened. "Sienna's always been spoiled. Even if she'd come, she wouldn't have taken care of me like this. Ruth actually seems dependable. Maybe this accident wasn't all bad."

Looks like I passed Felix's personal review.

Everything after this should be a lot easier.

I started paying close attention to Felix's spirit.

Maybe being too far from his body affected his chances of returning. Most of the time, he stayed in the hospital room, only wandering off when the weather was nice.

The last time he'd gone that far was to see Sienna.

Now that he was over her, he stayed put.

While I took care of Felix, his spirit never stopped talking.

"How does Ruth know I love opera? She must've done her research. Not bad. But how come she didn't figure out my favorite snack is blue cheese? I tried it once and got hooked. She keeps making me smell apples every day. I'm over it."

The next day, I bought a small wedge of imported blue cheese.

Back at the hospital, I unwrapped it right in front of him.

"How much should I cut?"

I'd gotten a lot bolder.

I even played with his fingers, bending them into a six, then an eight.

At first, his spirit hated it.

"Hey! Stop that! Nobody's ever treated me like this. Do I look like a toy to you?"

Eventually, he got used to it.

He'd roll his eyes, but the corners of his mouth always twitched up.

The second the smell of blue cheese filled the room, his eyes lit up.

His will to live seemed stronger than ever. "I've missed that smell so much... I need to wake up already so I can eat it with Ruth."

The moment he said that, the lines on the heart monitor flickered.

I picked up a small piece of cheese and carefully took my first bite.

"Felix, you know something? Thanks to you, this is the first time I've ever eaten something this fancy. Back home, I barely ever got good snacks. So yeah, this is my first time trying something this expensive."

His spirit froze.

By now, I was used to his face.

I talked to him like he was a friend.

"Your mom thought I was working hard and gave me ten thousand dollars. Back home, I had to take care of my parents and Sienna. Before that, it was my grandparents. Now I only have to take care of you. Honestly, it's easier."

His spirit drifted over and stared at me quietly.

That day, I told him everything.

How my parents treated me.

How Sienna bullied me for years.

After finally getting it all out, I felt like I could breathe again.

His eyes turned red.

"Are Ruth's parents insane? Why wouldn't they dote on their own flesh and blood, but pamper an entitled, spoiled brat of an adopted daughter instead?"

I was a little touched.

But I didn't need revenge.

As long as the twenty million hit my account, I'd be grateful.

After that, Felix's spirit and I grew a lot closer.

I still acted like I couldn't see him, but I always gave him what he wanted.

He stayed by my side constantly, watching everything I did.

Four months passed like that.

Then one day, while I was bending Felix's fingers again—

His finger suddenly moved on its own.

His spirit stared in shock. "My nerves and muscles are responding. That means my brain's recovering. Am I finally about to go back?"

I was thrilled and immediately told Penelope.

The news spread fast.

Soon, a team of experts arrived to examine Felix.

And not long after, Sienna stormed into the room.

She shot the unconscious Felix a look of disgust, then dragged me out into the hall.

"I heard Felix's about to wake up."

When I didn't answer, she slapped me.

"You really think you're engaged to some old-money heir now? Who gave you the right to act like that?"

Felix's spirit clenched his jaw. "Ruth, are you serious? Hit her back! I've got you. You're not gonna do it? Fine. I'll do it myself."

He swung at her.

The punch only stirred a cold gust of air.

Sienna jabbed a finger at my face.

"If Felix wakes up, you'd better disappear. I'll make him believe I've been the one taking care of him this whole time. I'm the girl he loves. When he wakes up, he'll marry me. Not you."