The Favorite's Game

But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I should leave.

I had gotten into Darniva University at 18 and had built a thriving career in the city over the last ten years.

Why should I throw away my connections, my resources, and the reputation I had earned through my own effort just because of one man?

After a moment of silence, I said, "First, I'll cut Samuel out of all the projects he's involved in."

From that moment on, our worlds would no longer intersect.

Strictly speaking, marrying Samuel had been a step down for me.

After graduating from high school, I stepped into the business world for the first time by accompanying my father, Joseph Sutherland, to various banquets. At an auction in Vista Harbor, I met Samuel for the first time. He was there with Jenna.

His expression remained the same the entire night. He looked cold and indifferent, as if nothing in the world could catch his attention.

Samuel had the same unbothered look on his face until Jenna spent 300 million dollars to buy a collectible military knife from Dad.

A flicker of complicated emotions crossed his eyes at last. There was a jealous look in his eyes as he stared at Jenna without saying a word.

Back then, I thought the knife held some profound meaning to Jenna.

At another banquet, I found Samuel alone.

He was spacing out in the back garden, yanking a peony out by the roots and tearing its petals apart piece by piece. He seemed to be questioning the flower, but it was more like he was questioning himself.

Samuel murmured, "Why can't she love me a little more? Why is my brother the only one she sees? When he got into university, she was thrilled. But when it came to me, she wasn't impressed and even rained on my parade.

"I got into the best program at the best university. Everyone praised me. Why doesn't she see any of it?"

His back looked unbearably lonely. He even looked up at the sky and asked why he had been born at all if he was never meant to be treated with fairness.

Samuel cried quietly. At the time, I couldn't quite relate to him, so I didn't walk up to him.

I simply stayed nearby and kept him company in silence.

Dad wanted me to stay in Grisdale and attend Grisdale University, but I acted on impulse and chose Darniva instead. In the end, I enrolled in Darniva University.

Dad was surprised, but he didn't stop me.

He said to me, "Life is short. If you want something, fight for it and make it yours."

I took his advice to heart. In fact, I took the initiative to get close to Samuel and step into his life.

We met at 18, got married at 22, and stayed married for six years.

In my ten years with Samuel, I gave him everything he wanted if it was mine to give. And if he wanted something that was beyond my means, I even fought to get it for him.

I felt sorry that he had missed out on so much during his childhood.

In my previous life, he told me that his elders and relatives would go out of their way to prepare gifts for Charles, the favored son. Compared to those, Samuel's gifts were always an afterthought. They were extras that were passed to him in the end.

Only Whitney was different.

Whitney, his so-called childhood sweetheart.

She gave him candy that belonged to him alone. Even if it was expired, it was still the only precious bit of sweetness in his lonely childhood.

So, he abandoned me for her again and again.

And I kept telling myself that Whitney had filled the emotional void from his childhood. So, his kindness toward her wasn't out of love.

But I overestimated my capacity for tolerance.

When I was running a high fever, Whitney happened to sprain her ankle. Samuel chose her.

At banquets, I needed a partner, and so did Whitney. Charles couldn't attend in his condition. In the end, Samuel still chose Whitney.

On my birthdays and our anniversaries, he accepted every invitation and broke every promise.

Once, I finally asked him, "Are you my husband or hers?"

Samuel's answer was a huge disappointment to me.

He said, "Charles is injured and won't see anyone. Whitney already has it hard. Why can't you be more understanding?"

I was rendered speechless back then. My heart hurt from breaking into tiny pieces.

Samuel's friends urged me to be more understanding.

"If he liked Whitney, he wouldn't have let her marry his brother," they said.

Whitney would always pretend to mediate between us as well. She would say, "There's nothing going on between me and Sammy. We've never crossed any lines. Don't overthink it. I'm your sister-in-law—I always will be."

But wasn't emotional infidelity a form of cheating? Did it only count as cheating if it was physical?

I suffered throughout my marriage. I was constantly in despair and considered getting a divorce countless times.

But I could never go through with it. I just couldn't let go.

I couldn't give up on Samuel, the lonely boy who my heart had once gone out to.

The ten years of love I had for him ran deep.

My love persisted until that fateful day—Whitney's birthday. It lasted until the moment the avalanche struck and Samuel reached past me to grab Whitney's hand, leaving me behind on the mountain.