I'm Second Place in My Own Marriage

In the fifth year of her marriage to Lionel Kruger, a wife suddenly gains the ability to see the ranking system each person carries in their heart. Her mother places her first, her best friend second, and even the neighborhood breakfast-cart owner holds her sixth. But when she looks above her husband's head, his mother ranks first and she herself sits second—until an unfamiliar name, Lindsay Sloan, begins climbing the list day by day.

As Lindsay's name creeps toward her own, Lionel's habits shift: he leaves twenty minutes early, his car lingers at an unfamiliar residential complex, and the scent of vanilla replaces the long black coffee they always shared. A receipt for two vanilla lattes, a fountain pen she once gave him, and a riverside that belonged to the two of them all point to a truth the ranking system will not let her ignore.

Lindsay's name rises to third, then ties with hers for second, and the wife must decide what to do when the ranking above her husband's head no longer lies.