My father forced me to marry a billionaire who had been in a coma for nine months. Everyone said Ethan Thornton couldn’t hear me, couldn’t feel anything, and would never wake up. But that night, when I leaned close to the husband I never chose and whispered the truth, his finger moved—and his first words nearly stopped my heart.

I didn't argue. I knew that in a house owned by the Thorntons, a penniless bride from Yonkers had zero authority.

"You're right," I said, forcing a weary, submissive smile. "I'm sorry. It’s just been a very long day."

"Of course it has," Jason purred, his eyes lingering on my face a second too long. "Go get some air, Claire. We'll take care of my cousin."

I walked out of the room, but I didn't go to the guest wing. Instead, I slipped down the dark, winding corridors of the estate's east wing, my mind racing.

My father had told me that the Thornton family trust required Ethan to be married before his thirtieth birthday—which was exactly three days from now. If he remained unmarried, control of Thornton Enterprises, a multi-billion-dollar global shipping and real estate empire, would default entirely to Jason.

But if Ethan was in a coma, who was actually running the company?

I found myself outside the mansion’s private study. The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of warm light spilling onto the marble floor. Inside, I could hear Jason’s voice, hushed and urgent.

"We have to increase the dosage," Jason hissed into his phone. "The girl claims he moved. If he shows any signs of cognitive recovery before the trust transition is finalized on Friday, the board will freeze everything. I don’t care what the chemist said about cumulative organ failure—just make sure he stays under."

A cold dread washed over me.

They weren't waiting for Ethan to die. They were actively keeping him in a chemical coma to steal his birthright. And the marriage to me wasn't a desperate attempt by his grandmother to save the company—it was a legal shield. By marrying Ethan to a desperate, debt-ridden girl whose father could be easily bought, Jason ensured that once Ethan passed away, I would inherit the estate on paper, only to be forced to sign it over to him under threat of financial ruin.

I stepped back, my heel clicking softly against the marble.