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I decided I was done with my husband, Liam. It happened right after he donated ten million dollars to the foundation. That money all but handed the project to Serena. Serena was his ex-girlfriend, and the last person on earth I wanted to lose to. And I was his wife of three years. Serena and I had been fighting over the foundation’s Legacy Initiative for months. With one move, he had erased my last chance. Serena said to me, “See? In the end, he still chose me.” I didn’t answer. I just turned and walked away. Yes, I lost. I lost the project, and I lost my marriage. But in that moment, a sudden lightness bloomed in my chest. It was time to take back what had always been mine. … The news that Liam would become the foundation’s newest and largest donor spread through the office like wildfire. He was my husband. When I learned he would personally weigh in on the final decision for the Legacy Initiative, I knew the competition between Serena and me was over. In the foundation’s breakroom, my colleagues kept their voices low, but I heard every word. “Did you hear? The ten-million-dollar donor is Liam.” “Of course. Who’d miss that? I bet the Legacy Initiative is going straight to Serena.” A young intern asked, “Why?” The project manager beside her lowered his voice. “You don’t know? Liam and Serena were a famous couple back at Stanford. Everyone says he never really got over her. Now that she’s back in his orbit, of course he’s going to help her.” My grip tightened on my coffee cup, the hot liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. A painful knot formed in my chest. When I returned to my desk, COO Arthur Hayes’s assistant was already waiting for me. “Elara, Serena. Mr. Hayes would like to see you both.” In Arthur Hayes’s office, he looked pleased. “Elara, Serena,” he said, “the board and I agree that both of your proposals are strong. We’ve decided to give each of you another month to refine them. The final decision will be made by a vote from the board and the donor representative.” As he spoke, his gaze rested on Serena, as if congratulating her in advance. As if he already knew the outcome. As if he’d already decided who Liam’s money was for. I stood there, feeling like I'd been forced into a race that was already fixed. After we left the office, Serena stopped and turned to look at me. She smiled, beautiful and composed. “Elara, let’s compete fairly.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but the meaning in her eyes was clear. She was already looking at me like I’d lost. She wasn’t worried at all. Because she knew that in this foundation, and with Liam, everyone would think of her first. By evening, the entire department was buzzing over the massive donation. Everyone knew that if my proposal wasn’t chosen, my team would be disbanded and absorbed into Serena’s. Before the end of the day, a crowd had formed around Serena’s desk. Some praised her ideas, some helped her flesh out details, and others were already offering their congratulations. “Serena, this direction is perfect. Liam will definitely love it.” “This project feels like it was made for you.” All the buzz was on her side of the room. I looked at her through the throng of people. She stood in the middle of it all, the star of the show. My desk was an island of silence. She lifted her coffee cup and tipped it toward me, the smile never leaving her face. I looked away, grabbed my coat, and left.The apartment was quiet when Liam came home. He carried the late-autumn chill of Manhattan in with him, his expression as calm as if he’d just stepped out of a boardroom. I spoke first. “Liam, did you donate to the foundation?” He looked up at me. His blue eyes held no emotion, just a flicker of acknowledgment. “Yes.” He said it as if confirming a business transaction that had nothing to do with me. I clenched my fists, forcing my tone to stay light. “So, will you lean my way during the evaluation? After all, I am your wife.” Liam frowned. He looked at me, his expression turning serious. “Elara, this is a professional decision, not a personal favor.” “I won’t change the standards because of our relationship.” The meaning was clear. Even as his wife, I was no exception. I didn’t press him. I was already familiar with that cold feeling in my chest. He always shut me down with infuriating logic. And I always seemed to forget, always hoped I might be the one exception. Liam didn’t look at me again. He went straight into the study. The glass door to the balcony was slightly ajar, and I heard him on the phone. The night wind scattered his voice, but I still caught the name. “Serena…” When he said her name, his tone was softer, more relaxed than I was used to. He’d never spoken to me like that. A few minutes later, he hung up and came out of the study. He walked to the door and took his dark gray cashmere coat from the rack. “I have a last-minute dinner tonight. I’m heading out.” I nodded, not saying a word. Liam was handsome, with deep-set features, a high-bridged nose, and gold-rimmed glasses that softened his sharp edges. His tailored suit made him look perpetually sharp and precise. He adjusted his cuffs and left. That night, he came home very late. And all the questions I had planned to ask him died on my lips when I saw the photos posted by the local media. The pictures were from a famous private club on the Upper East Side. Serena, in a black gown, stood at the center of a small group. Liam stood beside her. There were two other people in the photo, but the camera had clearly focused only on them. The headline read: Tech Founder and Rising Philanthropy Star Discuss the Future. So the “last-minute dinner” was an intimate meal for four with Serena. I realized there was nothing left to ask. Between Serena and me, he had already given his answer. For years, on the nights he came home late, I would leave a lamp on by the bed for him. That night, I turned it off. And that night, I slept soundly. The next morning, we met at the breakfast table. We were like two roommates sharing an apartment. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, landing beside his coffee cup, but not a single word passed between us. After breakfast, we went our separate ways to work. The moment I arrived at the foundation, I could feel the charged atmosphere. Everyone was gathered around Serena, as if she had already won the Legacy Initiative. “Serena, that photo from last night was gorgeous. You and Liam look so good together.” “Right? Is Liam easy to get along with in private?” Serena answered in her usual measured tone. “We’ve known each other for many years. He’s not difficult. No one needs to worry.” Several people chuckled. I didn’t need an explanation to know what that laughter meant. I quietly returned to my desk and opened an old article I hadn’t looked at in years. It detailed Liam and Serena’s relationship at Stanford. It mentioned that to support one of Serena’s startup projects, Liam had invested the first large sum of money he had ever earned. If I weren’t his wife, I might have found the story of young love romantic. Unfortunately, I was. Seeing the past repeating itself in that article just made me feel sick. So it wasn’t that he didn’t know how to give for love. He just wasn’t willing to do it for me.My rivalry with Serena began in college. We had never gotten along. From the very beginning, she wanted everyone to see her as the heir apparent to my grandfather, Arthur Vance. She spent a great deal of time at my grandfather’s side, becoming the protégée he loved to show off. At public events, she acted as if she were a member of the Vance family. And I, Arthur Vance’s only granddaughter, deliberately hid my last name, wanting to build something on my own. I worked as an ordinary project manager in my own family’s foundation. As long as I was in the picture, her story fell apart. A family dinner several years ago was the first time I truly resented what my grandfather called his “tests.” Serena was there that night, too. In front of all our relatives, my grandfather praised her, saying she had talent, that she was the future of the foundation. Everyone’s attention was on her. They looked at her as if she were already the confirmed successor. After dinner, I couldn’t stop myself from confronting my grandfather. “You know she isn’t, so why do you let everyone think that? It isn’t fair to me.” My grandfather’s face darkened. He raised his hand, as if to scold me like a child. “Elara.” A low voice sounded from behind me. “Mr. Vance is just trying to motivate the younger generation.” Liam took my wrist and pulled me behind him. Back then, he was still my boyfriend. That was the first time he had ever clearly taken my side in front of my family. After graduation, Liam and I reconnected. He pursued me for an entire year. Just when I was about to give up on the idea of us, he proposed. Only after we were married did I learn that Serena was his ex-girlfriend. That fact has been a splinter in my marriage ever since. The most humiliating moment came at a charity auction. Serena and I both had our eye on the same landscape painting. The price kept climbing, and neither of us was willing to back down. Just as I was about to raise my paddle again, Liam, sitting beside me, raised his. He wasn’t bidding for me. He was bidding for Serena, who was across the room. The room burst into applause. Everyone was congratulating Serena on winning the painting. I sat there, frozen. Later, his only explanation was a casual, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were bidding, too.” He didn’t realize. He never seemed to realize. After the auction, Serena made a point of coming over to me. She held a glass of champagne and smiled sweetly. “Elara, don’t take it to heart. Liam and I have a history. It’s something other people can’t really understand.” In that moment, my heart sank. It was the same now. With the “Vance successor” narrative she’d built and the halo of being Liam’s ex-girlfriend, Serena had people singing her praises all over the foundation. Everyone assumed she would win. I knew my proposal was almost certain to lose. But I still worked overtime with my team for days, polishing every detail until it shone. It wasn’t that I had to win. I just didn't want to lose this badly.

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