Chapter 1

As graduation approached, I asked my boyfriend, Grant—a young professor at Westbridge University—to write me a letter of recommendation for a research position.

"Mara, we have to be ethical about this," Grant said, his face hardening into a patronizing frown. "I can't write a recommendation for my own partner. That's abusing my position to pave the way for you. You can't always look for shortcuts."

Shame flushed my cheeks. I dropped the subject and threw myself into interview prep, working day and night.

But right after my final interview, I stood in front of the digital announcement board in the Westbridge science building and stared at the hiring results. My classmate, Vivian, had secured a position at Westbridge using her status as my boyfriend's spouse.

Under the department's public announcement, Vivian had posted a smiling bio with the caption: A special thanks to my husband, Westbridge faculty member Grant Holloway.

They were legally married.

Overnight, I had become the other woman.

When I confronted Grant, he just sighed, rubbing his temples like I was being unreasonable. "Vivian is my late mentor's daughter. This isn't a shortcut, it's a favor. As for the marriage certificate... once her job is secure, I'll file for divorce and marry you."

I just laughed, turned around, and accepted an offer from Adrian, a brilliant senior researcher, to join Professor Reed's lab in Silicon Valley.

I wouldn't need a garbage boyfriend ever again.

I squeezed my way to the front of the digital announcement board in the science building, scanning the hiring results for the Westbridge University research positions.

Over and over.

My name wasn't there.

I let out a heavy breath. The competition at Westbridge was brutal, but I thought my record would speak for itself.

I was about to walk away when a girl next to me gasped, pointing at the bottom of the screen under the Dual-Career Academic Placement section.

"Man, I envy them. If your spouse has a faculty position, you just slide right in."

My boyfriend was a young professor here. But I was the one walking away empty-handed.

Then, a name on that specific list caught my eye.

Vivian Mercer.

It was right there in black and white: Vivian Mercer, Department of Computer Science, Research Associate (Conditional Offer).

The floor seemed to drop out from under me. Vivian was a student a few years below Grant. She barely had any research experience.

My fingers trembled as I tapped the link to the department's official announcement. It included a brief bio.

In the attached photo, Vivian wore a white dress, clinging to Grant's arm, beaming at the camera.

The caption was a single sentence:

A special thanks to my husband, Westbridge faculty member Grant Holloway.

If they were husband and wife, what the hell was I?

I dialed Grant's number immediately.

"Grant, I—"

"I've told you not to call me during the day," he snapped, his voice hushed but sharp. "I'm working."

The line went dead.

I stared at the black screen, my chest tight. Unwilling to just let it go, I marched straight to his office.

Before I could push the door open, Vivian's voice drifted into the hallway.

"Grant, thank you so much. I never would have gotten into Westbridge without you."

"Don't mention it, Vivian. If Westbridge didn't strictly require a Ph.D. for normal hires, we wouldn't have had to use the spousal hire loophole."

"But... will Mara be upset? Should I go explain it to her?"

"No need," Grant replied dismissively. "She didn't get the position on her own merits anyway. It's better she doesn't know. She'll just get jealous and cause a scene."

"Then... let me treat you to dinner tonight."

"Alright."

Standing in the hall, I pulled out my phone and texted him: [I didn't get the offer today. I feel awful. Can we get dinner?]

A notification chime pinged inside the office.

My screen remained dark.

I could perfectly picture him picking up his phone, seeing my name, frowning, and placing it face-down on his desk.

The doorknob clicked.

I ducked around the corner, watching Grant and Vivian walk out side by side, laughing.

I went back to the off-campus apartment I shared with Grant in Chicago and sat on the couch in the dark. It was late into the night when he finally walked in.

"Grant, did you not see my text?"

He paused, a flash of impatience crossing his face as he loosened his tie. "What text? I'm swamped. I don't have time to stare at my phone waiting for you."

"Do you know I didn't get the research position at Westbridge?"

"With your qualifications, it's not surprising you didn't make the cut."

A cold weight slammed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me.

"My qualifications? I've been at the top of my class since day one. I've won every major academic award in the department." I stood up, the anger finally spilling over. "Vivian has zero meaningful research to her name, yet she gets an offer just by using her status as your spouse. I asked you for a single recommendation letter, and you told me that was taking a shortcut. What the hell do you call what she did?"

"So you know." Grant didn't look guilty. He just looked annoyed that he'd been caught.

"Mara, it's just one job interview. Stop being so aggressive. Vivian applied everywhere and got rejected. She's Professor Mercer's daughter. He passed away, and I couldn't just sit back and watch her fail."

"And my career doesn't matter?" My throat tightened. "She's your legal spouse now. What does that make me? The other woman?"

Grant sighed, his tone softening into that familiar, patronizing cadence.

"Mara, this is just a temporary arrangement. Once her job is secure, I'll file for divorce. Then we can have a massive wedding, just like we planned."

Pathetically, a small part of me wanted to believe him.

"Then outside of work, you are not allowed to have any contact with her."

"Fine."