Vivian Mercer. Twenty-three. First-year graduate student at the College of Science and Technology. Owns a golden retriever. Currently living in the faculty apartment the university assigned to Elmer Weiss.

Attached was a photo. In it, Elmer held a leash in his left hand and the girl named Vivian in his right. They looked every bit like a couple in love.

I stared at the image until my eyes burned and my vision blurred before I finally snapped out of it.

My friend offered a few more words of comfort, then asked what I planned to do next.

I drew a long breath, forcing the hatred down, and kept my voice steady. "Thank you. I'll handle the rest myself."

The university strictly prohibited relationships between faculty and students.

Elmer was a professor who'd been sleeping with one of his own graduate students, and he'd done it right before receiving the highest academic honor of his career.

I was curious. If this scandal broke during the award ceremony, would he still have a job to go back to?

I threw a few things together and drove to the apartment under Elmer's name.

Six months ago, a distant cousin of mine had come to Graystone City to study for exams. I'd wanted her to stay at this apartment, but Elmer had made excuses about the place not being ready and told me to find her somewhere else.

Perhaps even then, he and Vivian had already been tangled up together.

Rage and bitterness churned inside me until every breath felt like a struggle.

The moment I reached the apartment door, the dog inside started barking. A coquettish female voice followed. "Hold on, let me put Bailey away first."

A few minutes later, the door swung open, and Vivian Mercer stood before me.

Elmer certainly had sharp taste. A girl in her early twenties, right in the bloom of youth. Her face was fresh, innocent, and undeniably beautiful.

The moment she saw me, confusion flickered across her face.

"Can I help you?"

I studied her for a moment, then spoke calmly. "If I'm not mistaken, this apartment was assigned to Professor Weiss by the university."

At that, a flash of guilt crossed Vivian's expression. She forced herself to look composed. "Who are you? What does that have to do with you?"

I curved my lips into the faintest smile and pulled my marriage certificate from my bag. "I'm Elmer Weiss's wife. I'm taking the apartment back. You have one day to move out."