Chapter 2

2 The Fords gave me a simple task: stay by Hudson’s side, massage him, and talk to him. The spiritualist believed the stimulation would help him wake up.

I stayed for a month. During that time, Vivian visited once. She wasn't there to check on Hudson. She wanted to see how miserable I was.

“How does it feel, being a maid to a vegetable?” she asked, lounging on the designer sofa with her legs crossed.

“Scarlett is meeting the Montgomery heir next week. You know the Montgomerys, right? They’re almost as powerful as the Fords.”

“It’s fine,” I said, wringing out a wet towel to wipe Hudson’s arm. Vivian’s smile twitched. She wanted to see me cry, so I refused to give her the satisfaction.

After she left, I collapsed into my chair, feeling drained. “Did you hear that?” I said to the man on the bed. “She’s marrying a Montgomery.”

“If you could move, you could at least help me save some face,” I muttered. No response. The monitor kept its mechanical beat.

In the second month, I started bringing my own things into the room. The first was a small electric griddle.

The hospital-grade food they served the caregivers was terrible―bland boiled cabbage and dry chicken. I set up my griddle on the balcony and bought some high-quality steak.

The head nurse caught me while I was searing the meat. “Miss Shaw, this is a patient’s room―”

“Steak has more positive energy than talking,” I said, seasoned the meat with black pepper. “The spiritualist mentioned energy, didn't he?”

The nurse opened her mouth, looked at Hudson, then at the sizzling pan, and decided to walk away.

I ate while chatting with Hudson. “Don’t hate the smell. This smells way better than your liquid diet.”

“Look at this―A5 Wagyu. Your assistant bought it. Too bad you can’t have a bite.”

“If you wake up, I’ll give you a piece,” I teased. Suddenly, the green line on the monitor jumped. It was just a blip, like before.

I stopped eating and leaned close to his face. He looked the same―pale, clean, with long lashes.

“Are you eavesdropping?” I whispered. I waited for ten seconds.

The monitor jumped twice. Not once, but two distinct, light beats. I froze.

“Hudson?” I grabbed the edge of his blanket. “Can you really hear me?”

The line went back to being steady. But I didn't believe it was a fluke anymore.